Nursing is an art and a science. The profession is an art of compassion and caring in a creative way. Creativity allows nurses to individualize nursing care. Through science, nurses obtain the skills and technology they rely on to achieve each patient’s optimal health (“Nursing”, n.d.).
Florence Nightingale became a nurse because she wanted to help those less fortunate. Her compassion and concern gave her the motivation she needed to help others. She strived to improve nursing and the lives of those she touched (Isler, 1970).
Living in an area with high poverty levels, I too wanted to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. I chose to become a nurse because of my desire to help others and become a positive role model in my community. My career choice gave me the opportunity to set high standards based on my values and beliefs. From the beginning, I established my own personal commitment to nursing.
My personal philosophy is to prepare myself to make a difference in my patient’s life when he/she needs it most. I will provide compassionate, competent nursing care. I will work with those in my team to collaborate quality nursing care to ensure that each individual’s needs are met.
I will be a patient advocate. I will be honest and nonjudgmental in the nursing care I provide. My patients will depend on me. I will strive to form a trusting nurse patient relationship. Setting aside my own opinions and ideas to listen to those of my patient is a priority. My responsibility is to make sure that each patient is aware of his/her rights. I will be held accountable for protecting the rights of those individuals.
The Essay on Evolving Practice Of Nursing And Patient Care Delivery Models
Nursing is a career that presents those in it with many opportunities. There are a variety of nurses and the field in which they choose to practice is just as varied. There are oncology nurses, school nurses, home health nurses, trauma nurses and nurse practitioners. They work in clinics, hospitals, schools, prisons, mental health hospitals, community health centers and even in law offices. The ...
Providing consistent care regardless of race, sex, or ability to pay will always hold true. Each of my patients will receive the upmost respect. Providing high quality of care to each patient will be a top priority.
Knowing my scope of practice and working within my limitations will be my responsibility. I will be accountable for my own actions and decisions. I will also be accountable for those working under me to provide patient care. It is my responsibility to know the course of treatment and care my patients are receiving. Continuing my education through continuing education credits, in-services, and advancing my degree will give me the knowledge I need to be an effective nurse.
I will build a strong support group with my coworkers. This will give me the opportunity to meet the needs of my patients effectively. It will provide a trustworthy relationship and environment for the patient. Therefore, allowing the patient to feel more comfortable in the care he/she is receiving.
My ultimate goal is to provide high quality care for every patient. I have incorporated my own values and beliefs into this philosophy. However, the main principle is to provide holistic, compassionate care focusing on each patient’s needs. The care I provide will remain consistent and individualized regardless of social backgrounds. I will remember that every patient is a unique individual with basic needs. These basic needs must be met in order for us to maintain optimal health.
The Essay on Lytton Strachey’s excerpt on Florence Nightingale
Lytton Strachey’s excerpt depicts the popular misconceptions and the actual reality of who Florence Nightingale was. Strachey’s euphemism of calling Nightingale “the Lady with the Lamp” as opposed to the “agitations of her soul” portrays the idea that her reality was much more different than her false perceptions. Though he admires Nightingale with awe, he ...
In conclusion, I think that L.E. Gretter summed the philosophy of nursing up when she wrote The Florence Nightingale Pledge. It goes as follows:
I solemnly pledge myself before God and the presence of this Assembly to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully.
I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug.
I will do all in my power to main and elevate the standard of my profession; and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping, and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling.
With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care (Tom, n.d., p. 2).
References
Isler, C. (1970).
Florence Nightingale. RN, 33(5), 35-55.
n.d. Nursing. Retrieved from XReferXML database.
Tom, N. (n.d.) The Florence Nightingale Pledge. Michigan History Magazine,
93(1), 12. Retrieved from Gale: InfoTrac One File (PowerSearch) database.
