Paste your essay in here…Definition of Nursing
The International Council of Nurses defines nursing as one that:
encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings. Nursing includes the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people. Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research, participation in shaping health policy and in patient and health systems management, and education are also key nursing roles. (“Definition of Nursing”, 2018)
Looking at the definition in the common dictionary, Merriam-Webster exemplifies nursing as the job of taking care of people who are injured, sick, or old. While Wikipedia, albeit not the most reliable resource, defines it more broadly, articulating that nursing is a “profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life” (“Nursing”, 2018).
However it may be defined by reliable resources or the many professional organizations, one common theme tends to remain and it is my belief that nursing is truly defined by the people who become nurses. They are the dedicated individuals who move into the areas of need to care for, guide, and support the health and wellness of the individuals that trust them to do just that: Care for and aid them back to wellness. Nursing is made up of continuously educated professionals that provide nonjudgmental service to their community and unanimously together promote and advocate for those that can’t. They are the defenders of the vulnerable and fervently take care of others before themselves.
Personal Philosophy
My personal philosophy of nursing is reflected in my practice by the empathy I have for my patient’s struggles and the teamwork I share with my fellow nurses. It is common ground for most nurses to be chronically tired and close to physical exhaustion and feeling this way can lead to less than perfect patient care. I have learned in previous semesters how important self-care is in maintaining optimal health for both the patients and the nurses and through my continuous practice, I have realized, it couldn’t be truer. It is in the collaborative care between nurses and aiding each other professionally that the mentality and stressors of work is experienced at a smaller level and overall work performance is increased and interprofessional gratitude is expressed.
Similarly, my feelings on the nurse-nurse relationships and nurse-patient relationships can be described by my ethics. My ethics tend to fall somewhere along the line of unity. It involves cherishing the natural diversity of talents and temperaments among individuals as well as every person’s variegated culture, viewpoint, and experiences. Every person contributes not only to themselves and their progress but to the well-being of the human family as well. Although my ethics may seem closer to a romanticized dream of a world that respects the dignity of all, I truly believe that nursing embodies equality and recognizes the mutual care and deep regard required for every person to act in ways that are compassionate to address the disparity and health of humanity. This is reflected in my nursing practice by just truly being present with my patients and centering myself when I begin to feel overwhelmed. It is seen in the mutual understanding between my interactions with nurses and patients. It is the totality of unity expressed by empathy and compassion.
Nurse Patient Encounter
An example of a nurse-patient encounter that demonstrated the principle of my philosophy of nursing was when I held the hand of a 36-year-old woman who was inevitably going to pass on soon. She was incorrectly placed in rehabilitation when she should have been in hospice. She was being consumed by cancer and was getting worse every day. I remember walking into her room to change her diaper and the chucks underneath her. In able to do this, it took 3 to 4 of us to turn her or move her to clean her appropriately. During this interaction, the nurses and I realized that we didn’t have enough supplies, so I was left alone while the other two nurses walked out to retrieve what was needed. While they were gathering supplies, the patient began stroking my arm and immediately drew me out of my denial, or disconnect you may say, to her being. I then realized how inhuman I had been and how important it was to have touch and connection. It is in that moment that I realized we are all human; we are all born naked needing love and we all die naked needing love. I was there and I needed to accept it. I stroked her arm back and talked to her about her photos around her room. Even though she could barely speak, I know that I had touched her life at that moment, but she touched mine so much more and made me remember why I was in nursing. This is why my philosophy of nursing is based on unity. We are all human regardless of the backgrounds that we come from and we all need one thing above all, regardless of our determination to object otherwise: love.
Values and Beliefs
My values and beliefs haven’t changed all too much since the beginning of nursing school. It is still based upon compassion, empathy, and unity. However, there is something that did come along that I had not predicted. It was the realization of the hard work it takes to maintain that positive outlook. Nursing school and nursing in general tends to drain emotionally and physically. It takes true dedication and self-care to remain in the profession and comprehension of the dynamics of nursing to overcome the negative sides that come with the occupation. It is so easy to be spread thin, it is so easy to become overwhelmed, and it is so easy to be disrespected by one patient and have it ruin the rest of the day. I haven’t quite learned what it takes to stay in the profession but I’m hoping to learn from my clinical immersion or by other nurses why they have stayed and what drives them to continue and fight against negativity.
Benner’s Theory
Benner developed a theory known as "From Novice to Expert." This concept explains that nurses develop skills and an understanding of patient care over time from a combination of personal experiences and an educational foundation. Her theory proposed that nurses could acquire knowledge/skills without actually learning any theory; knowing how without knowing that. She believes that the development of knowledge in nursing is made up from clinical experience and research. This theory identifies five levels of nursing experience. She labeled this novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert.
A novice is obviously considered a beginner with no experience. In this stage, they are taught generalities. They are given instructions be authority and simply follow it. They are limited and inflexible. In the second level, the advanced beginner, the nurse shows acceptable job performance, and has prior experience in actual nursing conditions. This helps the nurse formulate priorities in order to guide actions. By the time the nurse reaches the third level, they are considered a competent nurse. This person generally has two or three years' experience working in the same field such as the ICU. This allows the nurse to be more aware of long-term goals, thus and gaining perspective from having the ability to formulate their own actions; helping them to achieve better efficacy and organization. The fourth level, a proficient nurse, perceives and comprehends circumstances as a whole. He/she has a more rounded and holistic comprehension of the occupation which in return improves their decision-making process. By this stage they tend to know what to expect in certain situations, as well as how to adjust plans as needed. Lastly, expert nurses are what most hope to achieve. These nurses no longer rely on guidelines or principles to connect situations and determine their actions. There is a deeper educational background that allows them to be more intuitive in clinical settings. They are more fluid, they are more flexible, and they are highly-proficient.
These levels reflect an undertaking from dependence on past principles to the use of experiences. Each step builds on the former step as the learner gains more clinical expertise and experience. More accurately, the levels show changes in three aspects of skilled performance. Firstly, movement from relying on nonconcrete principles to using past experiences to lead actions to secondly, a change in the perception of situations as separate pieces to whole parts. Lastly, becoming an involved performer rather than just an observer; engaged in the setting rather than outside of it
Skill Acquisition
I believe I am in the Novice stage of nursing. The novice stage is basically described as following the rules and only feels responsible to follow the rules. I feel that I am the most comfortable in this stage of my skill acquisition because I have yet to have true clinical experiences where I was responsible to make decisions based on prior experience. I have spent my times in these circumstances functioning at the level of instruction from nursing school. I have been unable to make the leap from the classroom lecture to independent care of patients. Strictly textbook, I apply the what I have learned in class to all patients and haven’t discerned individual needs. Reasoning behind my personal choice to label myself as a novice is not just because of the obvious inexperience but by my feelings also. I don’t feel confident in my skills and 99% of the time I would like a nurse to be present to instruct me during procedures. There is no background experience in this occupation and therefore I have difficulty distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant aspects of clinical situations.
Action Plan for Moving Forward
I plan and hope to move to the advance beginner stage during my clinical immersion experience. One of the things that I will work on to move to the next stage of skill acquisition will be through experience of having coped with enough real situations. Whether this be by having main themes pointed out to me by my preceptor/mentor or by my own recognitions of recurring meaningful components of a clinical situation. I believe this will help me demonstrate marginally more acceptable performance and move onto an advance beginner stage. Another composition that will help build on my acquisition of an advanced beginner stage will be my assistance to my preceptor. Through helping her and having her guide me with her expertise in skills and clinical situations, I would be able to comprehend more and be able to aid without so much supervision. Lastly, I will try my hardest to comprehend a situation and come to solutions in my head. I will run them by my preceptor to distinguish where I am right or where it is that I need more comprehension. I believe that asking questions and fully observing and absorbing the situation is where I can become more knowledgeable and more independent.