Nursing Philosophy

Because of the vast number of situations in which a nurse performs her duties, many factors are involved in developing a philosophy of nursing. At the center of the philosophy is what is best for the patient, and the American Nurses Association has determined an ANA Standards of Care and Standards of Professional Performance for nurses (ANA, 2002). These include standards of practice; quality of patient care; performance of duties; education and career development; collegiality; ethics; collaboration; research; and resource utilization. All nurses are expected to perform activities appropriate for their grade or level. According to the ANA (1991), nurses should collaborate with other health pro

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d out by Fontaine, Briggs and Pope-Smith in a recent survey (2001). For one thing, the lighting in such units is usually harsh, and on day and night. This disturbs the natural sleep cycles of these patients and makes them over-tired and restless. Turning the lights down at night, and off if possible helps, and giving patients a room with a window in a position they can look out of was found to reduce pain and anxiety. Pastel colors for rooms seemed to be most soothing, with brighter colors in the drapes, and artwork on the walls was much better for the patients than staring at bare walls all day. Soft music was found to be very soothing, and sleep inducing. This overall philosophy of caring for the outer well-being of the patient as well as their medical problems goes a long way to helping them recover faster, say Fontaine, Briggs and Pope-Smith (2001). Though not all the practices they observed can be put in place in all nursing situations, encompassing as many as possible into a nursing philosophy is highly beneficial for the patients' well-being. According to James F. Veronesi, if you want nurses to be caring towards patients, you have to set an example for them by caring about you
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