As one embarks on their developmental path into their professional career it is essential to have a definition and philosophy of what that career means. My definition of nursing is congruent with that of the Eastern Kentucky University’s College of Health Sciences Department of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Program which states, “Nursing is an autonomous and caring profession. Nursing is an art and science that promotes health through patient-centered care. While respecting patients’ rights to self-determination, nursing provides holistic care during health, illness, and death” (EKU CHS DBGN. 2015/2016, p.6). The focus of this paper will be to discuss my nursing philosophy which expands on two of the four core values expressed by the EKU CHS DBGN- nursing (holistic care) and health (spiritual).
My Nursing Philosophy
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Not only do you as a nurse look at the immediate illness of a patient but you also take into consideration that patient’s emotions, environment, cultures, and value their opinions. Zamanzadeh, Jasemi, Valizadeh, Keogh, & Taleghani (2015) relay the importance of this holistic approach by stating, “In holistic nursing, all aspects of patients and their effects on the treatment process are considered and the patients’ thoughts, emotions, cultures, opinions, and attitudes are factored in as contributing to recovery, happiness, and satisfaction. Holistic care respects human dignity” (Zamanzadeh, et al., 2015, 214). In other words to truly provide care to the entire health it is essential for nurses to assess a patient’s emotional health, mental health, environmental and even spiritual health. If nurses can provide this holistic care and analyze all points of care then a patient’s steps to success are laid before them making it easier to achieve and maintain their health