A personal philosophy is nursing is developed. Comprehensive philosophical positions are enunciated in relation to basic assumptions, nursing roles, and professional interests. More limited philosophical positions are enunciated in relation to political/social interests and legal/ethical issues.
My personal philosophy of nursing in relation to basic assumptions are presented in this section. Within the context of basic assumptions, my personal philosophy of nursing is as follows:
ò I believe that the concept of person should be defined as a human being and that, for the professional nurse, this human being will be a patient or other person requiring care.
ò I believe that the concept of health should be defined within an holistic context, wherein health encompasses both physical and mental well-being.
ò I believe that the concept of environment should b e defined as both the physical world and the socially interactive world within which a person exists.
ò I believe that the concept of nursing must be defined as caring, wherein a nurse provides understanding, education, care, and care management to a person who is a patient.
ò My feeling is that most human beings are, in essence, good and caring persons, and that conflict and apparent uncaring derives from failures to understand and adapt to one's environment.
ò My feeling is that health is best promoted by one's assumption of personal responsibility for ensuring that behaviors that are life sustaining are developed. My feeling also is that a failure to develop life sustaining behaviors is a prime cause of illness and that a failure to moderate such behaviors will cause death.
ò I believe that the client's role in health prevention, maintenance, and promotion must be the primary role, with caregivers, including professional nurses, providing support to clients as needed and requested.
ò My feeling is that all life has a purpose, but that such purpo...