Personal Nursing Practice Framework

The nursing services over the years have undergone a series of advancements with the introduction of evidence-based practice, which was made possible by research. Besides, nursing theories have formed the foundation for the development of nursing interventions that are effective, safe to the clients. This paper will discuss the meaning of nursing according to my understanding, factors that influenced my philosophy, concepts of nursing metaparadigm, and the theories that align with my thinking.

Meaning of nursing

Nursing is a complex and yet so easy profession, and I believe that it is mainly driven by the act of compassion, care, and addressing the needs of individuals seeking health services. Besides, it is all about helping individuals in attending their daily needs, whether they are sick or not, and in such a way, they gain strength to perform their duties themselves. In my career as a nurse, one thing I learned is that nursing cannot have its clear meaning without the act of compassion and having a caring heart for the patient. Therefore, to me, it involves the act of being there for someone who needs you the most. 

However, to provide these services, the application of the knowledge, skills, and evidence-based practice is key in the delivery of quality and patient-centered care. The profession also has its challenges, such as dealing with ethical dilemmas, angry patients, people from different cultures, and ages, which then makes it an interesting career where you can learn, develop and understand individuals even more. Therefore, nursing, to me, is a profession where you learn and deliver services every day with love, care, and compassion.

Factors that Influenced my Nursing Philosophy

My interest in being a nurse started when I was still young, but it was significantly contributed by my grandfather, who worked as a counselor. One thing I loved about him was the love, care, and compassion he had while attending some of his clients. He was dedicated, and sometimes he could take me to visit his friend who had an accident, and his leg was amputated. During this period, we could meet with his friend’s caregiver dressing the wound, and I could help in passing some of the tools she used to clean it. At times, she gave me a stethoscope and taught me how to listen to a heartbeat, and since then, my love for the profession grew.

Apart from that, I become a member of a first aid team when I joined a school where I was able to interact with a group of people. One of the things that motivated me all through was the “thank you” that people told me whenever I helped them. I was also encouraged by my friends, parents, sibling, and especially my grandfather, who even called me his doctor. Therefore, my passion and the love for nursing developed from the people around me. It is something that I loved since I was young and established itself, even more, when I joined the school.

Throughout my journey as a nurse, I have worked in various places, including attending the needs of individuals with severe and persistent mental illnesses in the community and those with complex care necessities with significant social barriers. I also worked together with an interdisciplinary committee in managing cases and providing teachings on the management of medication. Currently, I work in the emergency room, where I attend patients with diverse needs. The nursing profession is the best career that has suited well with my interest in working with patients and families in addressing challenges they face first-hand.

Philosophical Thoughts on the Four Concepts in Nursing’s Metaparadigm

The nursing metaparadigm has four concepts, which include the environment, health, person, and nursing. These are four elements that cannot be separated in the delivery of the care services because the cause and effect are in one place. Nursing, as I described above, is an issue of care and compassion, and therefore, the four concepts in the metaparadigm are inseparable when it comes to it. 

The person, in this case, is the individuals seeking health services not necessarily because they are sick, and it includes individuals or group that matters to the patient. Therefore, the care structure of the individual is considered based on their social, health, and spiritual needs. The premise is to empower the individual to manage his/her health with self-preservation and dignity with positive personal connections (McEwen & Wills, 2017). On the other hand, I believe health is the ability of an individual to carry out activities of daily living without aid and their access to it. The health and wellness of an individual covers their genetic makeup and lifespan and how they are integrated with social, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being in their health for better benefits. Thus, it describes a balance in the life realms in human beings.

The environment is another important factor that has an impact on the outcome of a patient because of its effects on the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs. This focuses on the surroundings of the patient with both external and internal influences. I believe the environment in which the patient is offered the care service has an impact on their health and well-being. This is because human beings are social beings, and the way we interact with family, friends, and other individuals affects the way we think, feel, and react, which then has an impact on health (McEwen & Wills, 2017). Therefore, adjustments of the environmental factors to suit the patient improves their health status.

Besides, nursing is also a crucial component because of its aim to ensure the patient is complete, independent, or whole. This is achieved through the establishment of mutual relationships in a safe and caring environment. In this case, the application of the principles of knowledge, skills, communication, professional judgment, and collaboration is crucial in performing nursing roles to promote better health outcomes. The nursing metaparadigm has elements that cannot be separated from the healthcare provider because it has an impact on the outcome and well-being of each individual receiving care services.

Nursing Theory

The theory that aligns with what I believe nursing is all about is the need theory developed by Virginia Henderson to indicate the unique focus of nursing of practice. This theory emphasizes the enhancement of the independence of a patient to promote quick recovery in a health facility (Gonzalo, 2014). Besides, it offers measures that can be employed by the nursing personnel to address the basic needs of a client. However, the theory assumes that each patient desires to come back to his/her good health, nurses provide care to patients until they can care for themselves, and are willing to serve day and night. 

Furthermore, the theory has 14 components that demonstrate an approach that can be employed by nurses to ensure that they offer effective and efficient care services to the individuals. These are in the four categories, which include social, psychological, physiological, and spiritual needs.

Some of the physiological components include:

• Eat and drink adequately
• Select appropriate clothing
• Breathe normally
• Maintaining body temperature within a reasonable range through adjustment of both the environment and clothing
• Sleep and rest

The psychological aspects include:

• Communications with other individuals in conveying opinions, emotions, fear, or needs.
• Discover, learn, and satisfy the interest that results in health and normal growth and use of the available hospitals.

Social needs

• Working in a manner that establishes a sense of achievement
• Participation in various kinds of activities.

Spiritual and moral needs

A person worships according to his/her faith.

Furthermore, I identify with nursing theorists such as Florence Nightingale, Jean Watson, Hildegard Peplau, and Orem because of their recognition of community health in their work. Another theorist whom I closely relate to my philosophy with is Ann Boykin and Savina O. Schoenhofer, who formed the theory of nursing as caring (Alligood, 2017). The main focus of this theory is the discipline of knowledge and professional practices, nurturing the individual living, and enhancement in caring. Based on the two theories, when nursing is viewed as a profession that is determined in addressing the needs of the patient through the application of the informed decision and evidenced-based practices in caring, then the goals set have a high probability of being achieved. It is also worth to note that every human being requires care services at some point in time, and therefore, the foundation of the profession that is built upon the aspect of care and addressing the needs of individuals is likely to have better outcomes. Besides, theories that focus on the elements of addressing the needs of the patient, care, and compassion are formulated from these two models used as the basis. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, the nursing profession is a unique one that is determined to make a change in the society in three ways, which I strongly believe are care, compassion, and addressing the needs of individuals, sick or not. In this career, some of the factors that influenced me into it are the interest I developed when I was young and the individuals who were around me who believed in what I was doing. Apart from that, I think that the four concepts in the nursing metaparadigm are the core components for care delivery, and they are inseparable because each has an impact on the health outcome of the patient. 

 

 

References

Alligood, M. R. (2017). Nursing Theorists and Their Work-E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Gonzalo, A. (2014). Virginia Henderson: Need Theory Study Guide Retrieved 27 November 2019, from https://nurseslabs.com/virginia-hendersons-need-theory/

Marchuk, A. (2014). A personal nursing philosophy in practice. Journal of neonatal nursing, 20(6), 266-273.

McEwen, M., & Wills, E. M. (2017). Theoretical basis for nursing. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.