My Nursing Philosophy Paper

Nursing philosophy, as per Petiprin (2023), is an approach to nursing that is created by individual nurses in their daily nursing practice. It assists in explaining what nursing means to the nurse, the role nurses play, how they interact with patients, and addresses their ethics (Petiprin, 2023). My personal philosophy of nursing is influenced by my ontological stance, the meta paradigm of nursing, my epistemological stance, personal experiences, and education. Throughout this paper, I will discuss my nursing beliefs () by explaining my ontological stance, how I utilize nursing knowledge through my epistemological stance, and how I can contribute to the nursing profession and its knowledge as a nursing scholar.

Ontological Stance

“Nursing

My ontological stance is influenced by Fawcett’s metaparadigm of nursing which includes four concepts of person, environment, health, and nursing. Additionally, it is shaped by my personal beliefs, values, and experiences.

I believe it is important to look at the patient holistically, not focusing solely on their diagnosis. Traditionally, “nurses practiced from a biomedical perspective within which the primary focus was the patient’s body, often to the exclusion of the whole person.” (Thorne, et al., 2002). I strive to practice outside of tradition by incorporating the patient’s physical, social, emotional and mental well-being. ()

As well, () the environment in which the patient lives and interacts outside of the hospital is important for care. Depending on living situations, their health can be negatively or positively impacted. Florence Nightengale () believed environmental factors, including sterile equipment, the hygiene of patients, and a germ-free environment, would be beneficial for maintaining mental and physical health for the patient and health care provider (Schim et al., 2007). These factors are incorporated into my nursing practices and

() It is important to look at the patient holistically and take () their description of their quality of life into consideration. To do this, I listen as the patient describes their health concerns and explains what health means to them.

Nursing skills are important so the continuation of education to ensure that my knowledge and practice is current with evidence-based information is crucial. However, to me, nursing is more than the physical skills that one performs while providing care. It () involves creating trusting therapeutic relationships with the patient and placing importance on providing safe, competent, and ethical care in order to achieve the patient’s optimum health (Gregory et al.,