RUNNING HEAD: Philosophy & Goals 1

Nursing Philosophy and Personal Goals

Kamrie Godfrey

Grand Canyon University: NSG-310

09/13/18
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Personal Philosophy and Goals

To take on the role of a healthcare professional means to take on the responsibility of

caring for a person in one of their most vulnerable times. Hildegard Peplau understood the

importance of building trust and rapport between a nurse and their patient. She created a model

for interpersonal relationships that promote a client’s personal development and help the

professional work with them to improve health outcomes. Peplau believed that deepening the

emotional connection between nurses and their patients allows authenticity and mutual

discovery, thus propelling the healing process even further. A nurse needs to not only be

competent in specialized clinical skills, but also have the ability to establish meaningful

relationships with his/her patients. I believe that the most impactful thing that a nurse can do to

promote healing and wellness is to create a therapeutic partnership with each of their clients.

From my clinical rotation thus far in Level 1, I have learned that my clients care less

about what I know intellectually and more about how I treat them. Everyone ages differently,

and that is a fact that all nurses must come to terms with. There is no one fix for all, although it

would be convenient. This means that each client both needs and deserves a personalized plan of

care in order to heal to their full potential. To accomplish individualized caring for all patients, a

nurse must connect on an emotional level and choose to care for all aspects of a person. This was

the most important concept I took away from my clinical experience this semester.

I will do my best to form relationships and build trust with all of my future clients. I have

learned that only then can I fully support their healing journey while they are under my care.

Clients who feel emotionally and spiritually encouraged by their healthcare professionals

experience the fastest and most therapeutic route to health restoration. My clinical experiences
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have taught me this and shown me that the condition of my patients should be looked at through

a holistic lens, in which I adjust my plan of care to fit their entire well-being.

As a nurse, I know how crucial it is to communicate in a therapeutic manner with each

patient I come into contact with. It will be a vital skill that I must learn by the end of the nursing

program to further evolve my therapeutic communication techniques. Developing my ability to

sit down with a client, listen to them, hear them, acknowledge them, and then create a plan of

care that supports them entirely is probably the most daunting, but the most rewarding lesson to

learn. During clinical rotations is the perfect opportunity to advance and mature in my

interpersonal approaches to caring.

If a patient feels as though the healthcare professional providing them care is not fully

attentive to their individuality, the likelihood that the client will recover fully and quickly

becomes diminished. I must understand my client’s perspective on their own health and their

personal objectives to be able to partner with them and accomplish those goals effectively.

Nursing is more about advocating and supporting than curing. Another one of my goals to

achieve before graduating from the nursing program is to both competently and professionally

establish deep relationships with the clients I work with. I would like to discover ways of

forming alliances and mutuality in my nurse-client relationships. This skill will drive both mine

and my patient’s motivation for healing.

Other than competence and personability, patients look for confidence in the people they

allow to care for them. When a patient goes through a health crisis, they often feel confused,

anxious, and vulnerable. At this time, it is crucial that they feel confidence from their providers

and nurses, which will assist in relieving some of their anxieties or fears. As I am only beginning

in the nursing program, I feel a great stress to show my competence during clinical, and this
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sometimes permits my own anxieties to be revealed during patient interactions. By the end of my

schooling, I would like to have built up enough confidence to perform skills efficiently or to

reach out for help when I need it.

After skill competence, client-centered care and interpersonal relationships are the most

important aspects of becoming an exceptional nurse. These approaches help to create trust, good

rapport and therapeutic partnerships between nurses and their patients that ultimately improve a

patient’s capacity to make a full recovery. The art and science of caring relies on the

fundamental consideration of holistic nursing interventions, and I will strive to incorporate all of

these principles into my future career as a healthcare professional.

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Reference

Friberg, E. E., & Creasia, J. L. (2016). Conceptual foundations: The bridge to professional

nursing practice (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier-Mosby