My Philosophy of Nursing - Essay Example

Running Head My philosophy of Nursing My philosophy of Nursing My Philosophy of Nursing I suppose that the main qualities of a nurse are based on universal principles of ethics and morality. They include dignity on the mercy of patients and openness, sensitivity to individual needs and patience, personal aspiration and commitment to work, humanism and tolerance. Openness involves impartiality and objectivity in assessing the validity of the beliefs of oneself and others, and a willingness to revise beliefs as new evidence comes to light. Also, it is important for a nurse to possess critical thinking and an awareness of the consequences of one's actions in rational decision-making, and to the need for patients to develop a critical response to the attitudes and values. I suppose that nursing should be based on a moral responsibility to facilitate mediation. The nursing philosophy is based on the ideas that a nurse should be well informed about ethical issues in nursing, have moral knowledge and have a complex range of learned skills and guided experience that will enhance their ability to act wisely and creatively as reflective moral agents when confronted with moral problems, to anticipate moral problems and take the necessary action to prevent them from occurring in the first place; to think critically and reflectively about emergent and emerging moral issues. A nurse should be able to discern a range of possible solutions to moral problems identified, and to communicate effectively with others. A special abilities of a nurse are to respect, listen to, understand and be compassionate toward others, to be tolerant, flexible, creative and imaginative when dealing with and attempting to resolve moral problems (Doane, 2003). Globalization and cultural changes require culturally competent professionals able to meet patients' needs and expectations. The importance of a cultural element in nursing profession is tremendous, because it helps to improve service delivery and communication, planning and ethical decision-making. The main effect of cultural competency can be explained by increasing importance of cultural diversity influences on the environment and perspectives of further development on the macro- and micro- level. In this situation, to be a professional nurse, it is necessary to exercise the role of leadership based on cultural knowledge and expertise (Dreher and Macnaughton 2002). The way in which healthcare organization has to employ cultural approach and communication is a part of competitive advantage. The advantages of cultural communication in nursing are fast response to changing conditions, environment and ability to apply cultural knowledge into practice (Edwards, 1997). I suppose that a nursing profession is based on deciding and acting morally in a conflicted world, dealing constructively with moral controversy, finding satisfactory solutions to moral disagreements and coping effectively with moral distress are all complex, perplexing and demanding tasks. Nurses should be capable of and indeed make independent moral judgments and decisions when caring for patients and their families. Mission Statements and My Philosophy of Nursing The mission statements require cultural and religious competency of a nurse, high standards and quality control. My approach and philosophy of nursing reflect these ideas and state that confidence of nurses and level of healthcare services are crucial for this profession. Using this approach, nurses are able to shift the situation applying new creative methods of communication based on advanced relationships and inquiry. The fist mission statement underlines that a nurse should value religious beliefs and cultural differences of diverse patients, their personal values and traditions (Hussey, 2004). They should approach the future with vision, informed knowledge and skill, be able to correctly anticipate the challenges ahead in its practice, and in education and research programs. By achieving these things, nurses will be enabled and empowered to honors their cultural and moral commitment to promoting and protecting human welfare and well-being. The nurses are responsible to the community and respond to changing community needs. Both mission statements underline that nursing is influenced by resources outside the healthcare organization which are an integral part of the chain of activities between the healthcare service design and the level of medical treatment (Hussey, 2004). In this case, detailed resource planning and deployment are important ingredients in the successful implementation of cultural competency. This has speeded up health delivery processes, transformed working practices and increased the efficiency of healthcare services. Medical institutions can be characterized as an environment which influences values and ethical principles of nurses, their cultural competency and knowledge. To achieve competency, sensitivity and the ability to incorporate strategies to enhance the cross cultural teaching and learning experience will become increasingly necessary as the diversity of clients continues to grow. The individuals participating in an interaction do not intend there to be misunderstanding, yet it is often inevitable. My professional nursing philosophy underlines that the main responsibilities of nurses are to acquire knowledge and skills important for effective cultural communication. A nurse should be responsible for improving quality of services and think about the large nursing practices which involve development of the unique personal approach to cultural competency. For a nurse, self-assessment and clients' assessment should be the core of professional communication and development (Doane, 2003). Self-assessment includes analysis of personal beliefs and religious awareness, communication patterns and analysis of the social environment. Religious awareness and ethics is a part of cultural diversity problem affected the nursing profession. Clients' assessment should include analysis and evaluation of their religious beliefs and cultural patterns of behavior which affected communication with medical staff and treatment. The nurses are both psychological and physical caregivers, and human values such as compassion and concern based on cultural knowledge should be the main priority in this profession. Every nurse should take into account social environment in order to inspire and empower enthusiasm in others. Nursing values involve psychosocial, spiritual and physical factors of care. References 1. Doane, G.H. (2003). Through pragmatic eyes: philosophy and the re-sourcing of family nursing. Nursing Philosophy 4, 25-32. 2. Dreher, N., Macnaughton, N. (2002). Cultural competency in nursing: foundation or fallacy Nursing Outlook, 50 (5), 181-6. 3. Edwards, S. D. (1997). What is Philosophy of Nursing Journal of Advanced Nursing 25, 1089-1093. 4. Hussey, T.B. (2004). Intellectual seductions. Nursing Philosophy 5, 104-111. Read More