Philosophy of Nursing

My philosophy of Nursing is based on two fundamental principles, which are holistic

healing and patient centered care. In short, I believe nursing is about healing the patient

through any means necessary, whether that is something physiological or often times

psychological or environmental. Nursing is also about what the patient wants and needs.

Without focusing on the individual patient, nursing becomes a set of generic order sets and

care plans. While I greatly value many other components of nursing, such as evidence-

based practice, clinical skills and competencies, pathophysiology and pharmacology, etc., I

truly believe the foundations of my philosophy are what make nursing such an art form.

You can teach anyone to read an EKG or memorize the rules for titrating a vasoactive drug,

however, you cannot teach someone how to care. Through truly caring about a patients

holistic health and by getting to know them, I believe true healing takes place.

The foundations of my philosophy were established when I was just a child. I was

exposed to the art of nursing from a young age through witnessing my mothers 7-year

battle with Lyme Disease. Early on I learned nurses were at the front-line of patient care

and had the most direct effect on the patient. Furthermore, I saw first hand the difference

in my mothers wellness when she was being cared for by a nurse who was in-tune with her

wants and needs, versus one who was simply checking things off a to-do list. When a home

health or hospital nurse took the time to get to know my mom, and enabled her to be well

even in the presence of her severe illness, the entire tone of the day was enlightened. My

mom would grow stronger and more positive, she would smile and laugh. When a nurse

rushed through their tasks or failed to truly listen to my moms concerns and needs, she

would get discouraged and her energy would drop. Even as a 13 year old I could easily
make these observations. I will never forget how upset and hurt my mom was when a

nurse refused to wait a few extra minutes for lidocaine cream to start working before

accessing her newly placed port-a-cath. This memory haunts me, especially knowing what I

know now as a nursing student about the ability to prioritize and re-prioritize tasks as

needed. The impression my mom and her health care experience has left on me shapes the

type of nursing I provide to my patients.

Holistic healing and patient centered care heavily influence my nursing practice.

When I first meet a patient I take active steps towards learning their wants and needs. I

incorporate their environment and their history into their care plans. If I can ever go above

and beyond to make a patient feel more comfortable or cared for I prioritize those actions.

As I grow and develop as a nurse I know my ability to heal will increase so long as I

maintain my nursing philosophy. Even in the stress and chaos of an ICU I must remember

my role.