My Future Role in Nursing - Essay Sample for Students

With reference to my professional background, my future role as a nurse will be centered on the roles of an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse. In particular, this will mean that as an RN, I will have earned a graduate-level degree like a Master's of Science in Nursing (MSN), and specifically trained in a recognized APRN role, in this case, as a nurse practitioner (NP). In this regard, my primary roles will range from taking comprehensive health histories of my patients to acting as the primary care provider for the patients. Besides, with reference to the roles played by different health care professionals, I intend to serve as an MSN Nurse Practitioner with my primary focus as the preventative and holistic care with personalized treatment areas for every individual patient.

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Primarily, according to Xue and Intrator (2016) NPs are tasked with the role of providing care across the wellness-illness continuum. Besides, they are prepared to diagnose as well as treat patients with undifferentiated symptoms and established diagnoses. Statistics have it that approximately 83% of the NPs are mainly prepared in the primary care centred programs while the remaining 7% of them in acute-care programs. Nonetheless, the differences between the two lie I the competencies as well as the certifications.

In a similar regard, as an NP, I intend to play a significant role in the delivery of care to the vulnerable populations. Xue and Intrator (2016) argue that the NP in the modern day healthcare profession, Nurse practitioners are deemed as the key providers in safety-net primary care settings that serve as the main source of primary care for approximately 23 million minority and low-income patients. This, in essence, is inclusive of over 1300 community health centers and about 250 nurse-managed health clinics. In the future of my profession, I intend to perform this NP role through my significant contribution to the health of the vulnerable populations through a unique approach to care delivery. This is inclusive of a holistic approach to the care of the vulnerable populations, who primarily emphasize on community health prevention as well as the social well-being. In this regard, Xue and Intrator (2016) contend that another primary role of NPs is the provision of care to the more socially complex patients who are otherwise less medically complex. Thus, drawing from this conceptual base, NPs are uniquely qualified to address the broader and much extensive socioeconomic context within which the delivery of primary care is done and to the vulnerable communities.

My Individualized Nursing Philosophy

Drawing from my professional nursing background, my entire nursing career began from little inspirations when I was a young girl. I, therefore, chose nursing as my profession since I have always believed that the desire to help and take care of other people is a true calling. Based on this context, I feel drawn toward helping people who are in need and hence my professional choice in nursing. Besides, I am of the belief that nursing is an honorable career that should not, at any time, be treated as just a job that earns you a paycheck at the end of the day. This being said, my mission today and in the future as I practice as a nurse practitioner is to proudly provide non-judgemental care to not only my patients but to all those in need of my help. I intend to serve wholeheartedly regardless of ethnicity, lifestyle choices, religion, or disability among others.

My philosophy is that as a nurse, I am tasked with the responsibility to serve the public as well as to provide safe, holistic, patient-centered care. While performing my role in my profession, I intend to always keep it in mind that my patients' medical conditions do not define them, but they instead are individuals that deserve and require individualized attention and care. Therefore, based on this context, I believe that nurses should always make use of clinical judgment to help meet the needs of their patients. Besides, as advocates of good health, nurses should aspire to empower their patients by encouraging them to become active partners in their own care as well as engaging in mutual goal-setting between the patients and themselves. In the same vein, my philosophy is that it is the primary role of the nurse to maintain patient confidentiality at all times, except when they have the duty to report as mandated by the nursing policies and the law.

Besides, I believe that as a nurse, I should always be willing to educate my patients alongside their families on treatments, diseases, as well as the healthy behaviors for them to enhance and also improve their outcomes. Also, every nurse should strive to model positive, healthy behaviors in their lives in the belief that they will always provide better care to others if we prioritize taking care of themselves first. In this regard, as an NP I believe that we ought to be committed to keeping current with the skills and knowledge in my profession. This is also inclusive of the enhancement of self through perpetual learning to enhance the professional evolution through technological advances and evidence based practice.

Finally, my professional philosophy core values and beliefs-specific. For instance, my beliefs and values as an individual and also as a professional nurse are honesty, persistence, kindness, security, family, lifelong learning and most importantly success in achieving my set goals and objectives. Today, and in the future of my profession, I intend to use these beliefs and values to make personal and professional decisions as well as to live my everyday life efficiently. In this regard, I believe that the core of my nursing profession has to be centered on knowledge, caring, and integrity. Besides, the primary focus should always be on the patients' needs, patient safety, patient healing, and most importantly patient empowerment. By so doing, I believe that every nurse practitioner will be in a position to uphold both their personal and their professional ethical standards at all times.

Theoretical Model that is Congruent with My Personal Philosophy and Future Role

Medeiros, Enders and Lira (2015) contend that nursing theories and models of practice are possible to evaluate based on the knowledge of how human beings are conceptualized within a model. Therefore, based on this regard, how adequately the model guides nurses in the decision making associated with every stage of the nursing process as well as how appropriate the role of the professional nurse is, are all determined by the nursing theories. In this regard and drawing from my individualized nursing profession, I believe that the Nightingale's modern nursing theory is the most congruent with both my future role as an NP as well as with my individualized nursing philosophy.

In particular, this theory which was developed by writer and scholar Florence Nightingale during the nineteenth century is primarily focused on the environment or better known as every external condition as well as the influences that impact the development of a patient and their life as a whole. For instance, these conditions are said to be able to contribute to or supress the disease or even prevent it. Basically, according to this theory, a disease is deemed as the restoration of the health process while the nurse is tasked with the role of balancing the environment to save the life of the patient, and most importantly to prioritize the delivery and stimulating the environment in which the patient is in. Therefore, drawn from this context, is the conception of individuals as elements of nature, and those whose natural defenses are impacted either by a conducive or unconducive environment (Selanders, 2010).

According to the theorist, the following are the environmental factors that primarily affect the health of an individual;

Pure water- When impure water-related epidemics occur, persons who use the contaminated water are almost sure to suffer.

Effective drainage- Sewers and drainage systems have high chances of causing epidemic diseases and ill health.

Pure and fresh air- This theory stipulates that the role of the nurse is to ensure that the air which the patient breaths ids as pure as the external air.

Cleanliness- According to the theory, the most significant part of nursing is said to consist of the preservation of cleanliness.

Light- Finally, light, especially direct light from the sun is essential in treating diseases.

Major Assumptions in the Nightingale of Modern Nursing Theory

With regard to the assumptions of the theory, Nightingale (1860) believed that there were five essential points in achieving a healthy environment for a patient. These factors were such, pure water, pure air, efficient drainage, light, and cleanliness. According to her a healthy environment was the most crucial factor for healing and based on this concept, the theorist contended that, "nature alone cures" (Nightingale, 1860). Also, another key assumption of the theory was that nurses should make precise observations on the patients. Besides, nurses should be in a position where they can report the state in which the patient is in, to other healthcare professionals or other nurses, in a manner that is orderly. Finally, the theory assumes that nursing is art while medicine, on the other hand, is a science. Therefore, based on this context, nurses must remain loyal to the predetermined medical plan.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Theory

With regard to the strengths and the weaknesses of the theory, many scholars in modern-day literature contend that one of the main strengths of Nightingale's environmental theory lies in the fact that it has a vast applicability to a majority of nursing practitioners. This being said, this theory's model is applicable in a majority of complex hospital intensive care environments, at work sits, homes, and also in a community setting as a whole. On the other hand, like many other theories, the Nightingale's theory has primary shortcomings. For instance, one of the primary weaknesses of the theory is the fact that there is very scant information about the psychosocial environment unlike in the physical environment. Besides, many scholars question the applicability of this particular theory today, in the 21st century.

Major Concepts of the Theory

According to Nightingale, the primary concept of this theory lies in the nursing practice. This is in the sense that, what nursing has to do is to put patients in the best condition possible so that nature can act upon them. As the theory states, the nursing practice ought to signify the appropriate use of light, fresh air, warmth, cleanliness, quiet, as well as the proper selection and the administration of diet. Besides, all these should be done at the least expense of vital power to the patient (Nightingale, 1860).

Human beings or individuals make up the other crucial concept of the theory. In particular, despite the fact that the theory does not specifically define human beings, it gives a relationship between human beings and their environment as well as the impact that their environment has on their well-being. The other major concept of the theory is health. The theory states that nursing ought to provide care to both the ill and the healthy. This being said, the theory discusses health promotion as a crucial activity in which nurses should engage in. Finally and most importantly, the environment is the essential concept of the theory. Primarily, the physical environment is reflected in theory in the sense that, the theorist made the reflection of a community health model in which everything that surrounds a human being, and specifically a patient, is considered about the state in which they are in, regarding their health.