Introduction
Nursing philosophy is a statement that describes one’s ethics, beliefs, and values and acts as a motivation for individuals to be part of the profession. Personal nursing philosophy provides a deeper connection with one’s values and gives them direction. The purpose of this paper is to review the current nursing ideologies. It describes two theories: self-care theory (Dorothea Orem) and needs theory (Virginia Henderson), compatible with my nursing philosophy. Moreover, it includes the factors that influence the development of my nursing philosophy and my views on the nursing metaparadigm. The paper includes my views on the nursing metaparadigm that is person, health, environment, and nursing.
Factors Influencing the Development of Personal Nursing Philosophy
Nurses are crucial contributors to the healthcare system as they provide medical treatment to patients while considering ethical considerations. Professional nurses must be aware of ethical concepts that could impact their work. Accountability is the primary factor driving the development of my nursing philosophy. I know the importance of maintaining control over the environment and coordinating with other staff members. In my experience, I have learned that it is my task to advocate for patients, particularly during invasive procedures. Such is based on my trust in the clients and the medical team. I believe that I am answerable to patients affected by my practice. Therefore, I strive to preserve professionalism, sustain competence, and protect high standards of patient care.
The second factor is compassion which enables nursing practitioners to deliver excellent healthcare, evaluate the unique characteristics of their patients, and treat them with respect according to the self-care theory. The main characteristic supporting a compassionate nurse is the absence of distinctions based on economic or ethical concerns (Tehranineshat et al., 2019). Giving patients compassionate nursing care can increase their happiness with their treatment, make it safer, save money and time, and boost the staff’s confidence and coping mechanisms.
The professionalism of a nurse is the third factor affecting my philosophy development. The scope of nursing practice and its fundamental criteria are considered in this area of personal nursing philosophy (Schmidt & McArthur, 2018). My nursing philosophy is to provide safe, patient-centered care that supports the client’s beliefs and values, considering the needs theory. Such has been affected by the teaching received at school and socialization with colleagues and other team members.
Concepts of the Nursing Metaparadigm
A metaparadigm is a body of theories or notions that establishes the framework for a field’s operation. Four fundamental ideas that address the patient as a whole, the patient’s health and well-being, the patient’s surroundings, and the nursing obligations make up these theories for the nursing discipline (Nikfarid et al., 2018). Although there are many distinct nursing theories, these four fundamental nursing metaparadigms suggest a holistic approach to care in which four interaction components interconnect a person’s physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being.
Person
The concept of person focuses on the recipient of care; in such a case, it is the patient. The person includes patients’ family members and other groups of people who are relevant to the client. The care structure considers their social and spiritual needs along with the individual’s health needs. How the person engages with these social and physical relationships is responsible for the subsequent health outcome (Nikfarid et al., 2018). Nursing theories significantly impact patients since they facilitate the development of a bond between the nurse and the patient, resulting in successful outcomes.
Environment
The concept of environment focuses on the surroundings affecting the patient. The environment is composed of internal and external factors, and the patient’s continuous interaction with their surroundings affects their health and wellness (Nikfarid et al., 2018). A person can alter their environmental circumstances to enhance their state of health. The environment is subtly influenced by the nursing philosophies used at the healthcare facility. This occurs most of the time since the standard of care is influenced by both the working environment and the attitude of the staff toward the patients. Therefore, implementing a sound philosophy will benefit the organization.
Health
The concept of health refers to one’s extent of wellness and access to healthcare. Nikfarid et al. (2018) suggest that a person’s lifestyle, genetic make-up, and the integration of their physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual well-being into their healthcare are all covered under the umbrella term “health and well-being.” It is evident, in my opinion, that nursing ideologies and health outcomes are connected. Such means that the nurses will understand the extent of their work if they use the right philosophy, thus providing affordable and effective healthcare.
Nursing
The nursing concept involves the delivery of health outcomes to the patient through developing working relationships with nurses and other healthcare providers. The nursing component involves conducting duties and obligations to achieve the best outcome for a patient’s health by applying knowledge, skills, technology, partnerships, professional judgment, and communication principles (Nikfarid et al., 2018). Nursing practitioners are also significantly impacted by individual nursing ideologies. They might assist the nurses in acquiring fundamental abilities needed to deliver high-quality healthcare, thus enabling them to match their goals with the health center’s mission.
Summarized Interrelationship of the Concepts
The metaparadigm considers all aspects of patient care, including the patient, their surroundings, their health, and the nursing practice itself. It gives a basis for using the critical competencies nurses need. Using the correct theory when practicing nursing is crucial and should not be undervalued. Every aspect of professional nursing practice is impacted by it, and its goal is to enable nurses to deliver high-quality care efficiently. The crucial role of a nurse is to provide aid essential for patient recovery. Chinn et al. (2021) emphasize the need for personal knowing, which means understanding the self to make healthy relationships. This aspect is crucial for developing a working nurse-patient relationship and results in positive outcomes such as better service delivery. However, nurses should understand that the environment affects a patient’s health outcomes and hence should focus on the client.
Nursing Theories
Dorothea Orem’s Theory
The self-care deficit theory developed by Dorothea Orem aims at improving the quality of nursing care delivered to patients. The model’s conceptual relationships produce a new perspective on a particular phenomenon. The theory comprises three interrelated parts: the theory of self-care, the theory of self-care deficit, and the theory of nursing systems. I choose this theory since its concepts are compatible with my compassion and professional nursing philosophy.
Person
The concept, as mentioned, refers to the recipient of care delivered by nurses. Men, women, and children are referred to as “humans” and are the “material object” of nurses and other people who offer direct care in Orem’s theory (Hellqvist, 2021). The self-care theory includes daily activities an individual performs to maintain life. Nursing systems theory describes how a patient’s needs would be met through the collaboration of the patient and the nurse. My eight years of experience have made me realize the importance of trust, accountability, and honesty. The development of a working relationship nurse-patient relationship is dependent on factors such as trust, and I appreciate such values since they lead to improved patient outcomes.
Environment
The family, culture, and community are all parts of the environment with physical, chemical, and biological components. As a nurse, I am obliged to provide a comfortable environment for patients and make them feel respected. Self-care requisites are categorized into universal, developmental, and health deviations. Universal self-care requisites refer to the activities of daily living. They include; maintaining enough air, water, and food intake, balancing activities and rest, and preventing dangers to human life (Tanaka, 2022). Working in the emergency department fostered the development of my nursing philosophy since I had to use logical reasoning when handling patients to attain self-care through prioritization of interventions.
Health
Human health is the capacity to reflect on oneself, symbolize experience, and interact with others. It is a state that includes both the health of people and groups. Health deviation self-care is required in conditions of injury and illness. Such include seeking appropriate medical assistance, awareness of the pathological condition, practical carrying out of medical procedures, and learning to live with the effects of a condition.
Nursing
The nurse provides specialized assistance to people with impairments, necessitating more than simple support to meet self-care needs. They actively contribute to the doctor’s treatment plan for the patient. Nursing is required when a person cannot provide continuous self-care (Tanaka, 2022). Through my education and experience in the emergency department, I have realized the importance of providing personalized care to every client instead of treating illness. Chinn et al. (2021) support that nurses with doctorate practices are well-placed and are capable of developing a more comprehensive knowledge approaches. Thus, self-care deficit theory shaped my nursing philosophy since the experience gained changed my perspective. I believe that care for patients in the emergency department should involve more than changing bandages and giving medications.
Virginia Henderson’s Theory
The nursing practice is unique since it is based on Virginia Henderson’s nursing need theory. The approach emphasizes how critical it is for patients to become more independent, thus hastening their recovery (Black, 2019). The theory is compatible with my nursing philosophy of accountability and professionalism. It is based on the significant nursing metaparadigm concepts of individual, environment, health, and nursing.
Person
Helping the patient to attain self-independence is the primary goal of emergency department nurses. One achieves wholeness by maintaining a balance between their emotional and physiological well-being. The theory considers a person who needs nursing care but does not limit nursing to illness care; hence, they are a sum of parts with interrelated biopsychosocial needs (Black, 2019). One of the 14 activities essential for healthy living is sleep and rest, that aid in preserving energy and relieving pain. Such information helped increase my competency, which is part of my nursing philosophy.
Environment
The theory failed to define the environment explicitly. However, Henderson suggested that maintaining a supportive environment is one of the 14 activities for client assistance (Black, 2019). Working per the code of nursing ethics builds a nursing philosophy known as professionalism. While in my practice, I uphold the nursing ethics of beneficence, where my actions were to benefit the patient thoroughly. I have always strived to communicate effectively with patients and their families to improve their internal environment and alleviate anxiety, thus improving my professionalism philosophy.
Health
Henderson’s idea did not define health specifically, but it was assumed that it meant an equilibrium in every aspect of a person’s life. It is equivalent to the independence or capacity to do tasks in the 14 components or fundamental human requirements without assistance (Black, 2019). Nurses have a role in preventing diseases, curing, and promoting health. Such can be achieved by understanding that health is affected by various factors such as cultural background and age. Understanding these factors shaped my nursing philosophy since it added more professionalism and competence.
Nursing
She defined nursing before the development of theoretical nursing. According to Henderson, the specific job of the caregiver is to help the individuals, sick or healthy, perform those tasks that contribute to health or recovery. This helps them operate without help if they require strength, will, or knowledge (Black, 2019). Admittedly, the nurse’s primary role is to help the patient attain self-independence and become whole. They can achieve such by helping patients attain the 14 basic needs.
Conclusion
Dorothea Orem’s self-care theory views a nurse as an individual who can provide adequate care to patients more than administering medications and dressing wounds. As a result, the theory is compatible with my nursing philosophy of compassion and professionalism. Virginia Henderson’s model, which focuses on the patient’s needs, is compatible with my nursing philosophy of accountability and professionalism since it triggers the provision of patient-centered care. The interrelation of the metaparadigms allows for a deeper understanding of the theory and its application in patient care.
References
Black, B. (2019). Professional Nursing E-Book: Concepts & Challenges. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Chinn, P. L., Kramer, M. K., & Sitzman, K. (2021). Knowledge development in nursing e-book: Theory and process. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Hellqvist, C. (2021). Promoting self-care in nursing encounters with persons affected by long-term conditions—A proposed model to guide clinical care. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(5), Article 5. Web.
Nikfarid, L., Hekmat, N., Vedad, A., & Rajabi, A. (2018). A comparative study of the main nursing metaparadigm concepts in human caring theory and Persian mysticism. Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, 11, 6. Web.
Schmidt, B. J., & McArthur, E. C. (2018). Professional nursing values: A concept analysis. Nursing Forum, 53(1), 69–75. Web.
Tanaka, M. (2022). Orem’s nursing self-care deficit theory: A theoretical analysis focusing on its philosophical and sociological foundation. Nursing Forum, 57(3), 480–485. Web.
Tehranineshat, B., Rakhshan, M., Torabizadeh, C., & Fararouei, M. (2019). Compassionate care in healthcare systems: A systematic review. Journal of the National Medical Association, 111(5), 546–554. Web.