Personal Philosophy of Nursing, Essay Example

Introduction

There are many philosophical positions in the nursing progression. They encompass those pertaining to nursing practice as a science; the nurse’s impact on the healthcare system in which he/she functions and the nursing environment with respect to interacting with the public.  These various levels of interpretation could be summarized as offering a philosophy based on the professional culture.

Expansion

My personal philosophy of nursing pertains to nursing practice as a science. Often the preoccupation of what constitutes a science with respect to nursing practice engages my contemplation.  From reading it became clear to me that science is a body of knowledge, which was developed through research.   The research evidence informing this set of knowledge was obtained through testing of terms, processes, conditions and even specimens. Therefore, the nurse’s function, which we refer to as practice must coincide with a particular segment of this body of knowledge for it to be considered a science. While this concept of nursing exists it is not grasped by many in the profession.

Thus, my personal philosophy is grounded in the belief that nursing practice currently is a science because whatever nurses do is derived from a body of knowledge previous developed by experts who tested and verified such knowledge to be authentic. This makes me proud to be associated with the nursing profession practicing form a knowledge base that is valid. Everywhere there are inconsistencies because the only constant in the world is change.  Science is ever changing as new ways of performing tasks and functioning in a clinical setting goes through an evolutionary phase, but embracing nursing from the perspective of it being science makes a great difference. I read of periods when nursing was merely a philosophy whereby leaders in the profession functioned from intuition. There was no knowledge forming a foundation for practice, yet healing occurred from trial and error. As nursing continued to evolve persons committed to the profession leant how to record events that successfully resolved medical conditions in the delivery of care.

Ultimately, professionals can enjoy functioning from a basis of theories that were designed to facilitate accuracy in the execution of nursing interventions. Upon that foundation nurses engaged in research formulating scientific knowledge by which the profession is guided.  When my philosophy of nursing is hinged on it being a science, it allows me the confidence to perform my duties from a space of knowing that while intuition might be discarded it is a basis of producing knowledge, which might not be scientific.

However, knowing that today my functions in this profession began from a now considered primitive beginning strengthens my personal philosophy of this profession being a science. It is an empowering thought because many other professions have no strong scientific basis. They are still at the emerging stages where nursing was more than one hundred years ago.

Conclusion

My personal philosophy of nursing being a science is one held by many within the profession, but the distinction with my belief is that while the philosophy serves to motivate me into practicing with confidence it further stimulates me towards contributing to the body of knowledge by engaging in evidence based research. Currently the science of nursing practice is immensely linked to this intervention.