Essay Example - Personal Nursing Philosophy and Watson's Theory of Human Caring

Nursing is an integral aspect of the healthcare system that comprises the prevention of illness, promotion of health, and care of patients in all healthcare facilities and other community settings. For nurses, this medical profession calls for individuals willing to help others who are in distress (Bayuo, 2017). As a result, it is an honorable career that should not be treated as just a source of income for the practitioners. As a nurse, my philosophy is to provide quality nonjudgmental care to a different array of patients regardless of their disabilities, financial status, spiritual beliefs, races, and lifestyle choices based on Watson's theory of caring.

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My philosophy in nursing is that it is a profession entitled the provision of holistic, safe, and patient-centered care services to the sick. These patients are neither medical conditions, room numbers, nor income sources, but people who deserve selfless individualized care and attention. As a result, nurses should rely on clinical judgment instead of non-professional personal ideas whose aim is to improve personal gains and reputation at the expense of meeting patients' needs. Besides, nurses should act as advocates who empower patients by motivating them to be an active partner in the care and participate in mutual goal setting between them and their clients (Moriel et al., 2017). Participants in this profession should maintain the confidentiality of the patient in all conditions except in situations where they are mandated by law. Because of the importance and the sensitivity of the profession on people’s health, nurses should strive to educate patients, families, and society on various medical conditions, treatments, and preventions to improve their chances of achieving medial goals. Nurses' roles go beyond focusing on the patient, modeling personal positive, healthy behaviors to extend better care to others by acting as an example to emulate.

The medical field is a profession characterized by continuous evolutions and development because of the new conditions arising and discoveries frequently made. Consequently, nurses commit to maintain their current skills and knowledge and pursue self-improvement through continuous learning. Self-enhancement prevents nurses from remaining stagnant in the ever-changing world but professionally evolves through technological advances and evidence-based practice (Moriel et al., 2017). As a trained nurse, my vision and hope that of other nurses comprise continuous learning, not only through credible nursing publications but also by interacting with colleagues, observing the patients' response, and collecting feedback from families. As a result, each day allows nurses to learn and improve their skills.

My personal beliefs and core values as a human being are the need for honesty, kindness, lifelong learning, family, and security among people to achieve their goals. These values are beliefs that are critical in influencing nurses' decision-making process, on patients' needs, and enhancing their safety, healing, and empowerment. I believe that my philosophies based on these values are in line with the core of nursing. Such values are part of my life, both within and outside the healthcare facility. Since nursing is a demanding job that involves dealing with difficult patients who may not appreciate my services, it is important to try my best to offer them the best care service (Norful et al., 2017). It is also essential to be confident in my abilities and strive to be a better nurse each by evaluating my performance and adopting improvement measures whenever necessary.

As a nurse, I am entitled to uphold professional and personal ethical standards at all times. In situations where there is a conflict with my values and those of the patient, it is essential to seek guidance from a mentor to help address the problem. Since nursing involves dealing with peoples' lives, it is vital to be accountable for all actions. Apart from upholding a good relationship with nurses, it is also essential to establish positive relations with my fellow nurses. My colleagues are valuable resources who can make me a better nurse. As a result, they deserve my respect and recognition of their knowledge, reliability, and hard work. Therefore, I should offer assistance to my fellow nurses, other healthcare providers, and nursing students to enhance teamwork(Moriel et al., 2017). The resulting corporation is critical in tapping knowledge, experience, and skills from most healthcare practitioners to promote healthcare outcomes. Dedication, ethics, and hard work are crucial in improving the profession's image and promoting cooperation with different social, economic, and political organizations both locally and globally.

My philosophy of nursing is based on Jean Watson's theory of care. The theory is based on her observation of the effect of authentic caring on the sick and the resulting outcomes. Through the theory, she proposed fundamental consideration of what it means to be human, vulnerable, ill, cured, cared for, healed, and healthy. While other traditional nursing theories emphasize the administrative/economic model of caring, Watson's approach focus on why nurses are attracted to this medical profession. She argued that people choose to be nurses because of the human aspect of the profession, believing in the positive impacts of human caring in promoting health outcomes (Murali, 2020). Watson stated that the profession without values is heartless, soulless, and worthless. As a result, for nursing to be useful, it must be guided by both personal and professional values.

The theory is based on seven fundamental assumptions. 1) Caring is effective when practiced and demonstrated interpersonally. 2) It involves satisfying human needs caused by carative factors. 3) Effective care enhance health, family, and individual growth. 4) Caring includes accepting the current and future condition of a patient. 5) A caring environment permits the development of potential by allowing individuals to decide what is best for them. 6) Caring is more healthy than that act of curing. 7) In nursing, the practice of caring is central (Wei et al., 2019). These assumptions are the foundation of my nursing philosophy.

The theory describes ten carative factors that are fundamental in nursing. The first three factors provide that philosophical foundation as well as spring the other seven factors. The formation of humanistic values is the primary carative factor. In this case, values are developed from an early age, usually promoted by parents. The life experience fosters the development of these values. Among the nurses, such values are critical because they encourage their altruistic behavior towards patients, thus helping them to offer care based on humanist values (Wei et al., 2019). The second curative factor playing a critical role in the nursing profession is the nurses' ability to inspire faith and hope among their patients. As a nurse, I should always strive to promote confidence and faith as a way of promoting individuals’ wellbeing. The third factor is the cultivation of sensitivity upon others and oneself (Wei et al., 2019). As a nurse, I should feel emotion among patients as it presents itself. Sensitivity among nurses promote higher-level functioning whey; it results from a person to person relationships. Striving to become sensitive to the patient's emotions enables the nurses to be authentic, thus encouraging self-actualization and self-growth.

. The establishment of a helping-trust relationship is the fourth carative factor providing professional philosophy to nursing. This factor critical in forging effective communication, thus establishing rapport and care. A helping-trust relationship is facilitated by warmth, congruence, and empathy in both non-verbal and verbal communication (Bayuo, 2017). The fifth most crucial carative factor critical among the nurses includes the expression of both negative and positive feelings. Nurses should understand that feelings alter their behavior and thoughts. These feelings should be permitted in the care relationship because they play a critical role in understanding the response it engenders.

The sixth carative factor critical in my nursing philosophy is the use of scientific problem-solving techniques in making decisions. All decisions made about the care services extended to the patient were guided by proven scientific methods supporting control and prediction of the outcome and allowing self-correction. In nursing, caring must not always be objective and neutral (Bayuo, 2017). The seventh factor is the use of interpersonal teaching-learning. As nurses provide their services to patients, they must focus on both learning and teaching processes at equal measures. As they attempt to educate patients on how to manage their conditions, they should also try to understand that individual's perception to prepare an effective cognitive plan (Murali, 2020). As a nurse, I should always strive to have insight into patients' thought processes to offer the most effective care services. The other crucial carative factor critical in nursing is providing the protective, corrective, and supportive spiritual, sociocultural, physical, and mental environment. Manipulation of these environments enables the nurses to obtain better physical and psychological outcomes (Norful et al., 2017). Since the internal and external environment is interdependent, nurses should provide safety, comfort, and privacy to their patients as part of this carative factor.

The ninth carative factor guiding nurses in their profession is the need to assist patients in addressing the gratification of their daily human needs. This factor is based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. One of the causes of physical problems among patients is their inability to address their human needs. Consequently, nurses should ensure that all requirements are sent to achieve optimal health. These needs include biophysical, psychophysical, and psychosocial needs, such as food, affections, and achievement, respectively (Clark, 2016). Although nurses do not provide most of these needs, they should educate their patients on their importance in maintaining good health. The last carative factor in Watson's theory of care is the allowance for both existential and phenomenological forces. Phenomenology is the way individuals attempt to understand others from their (others) point of view. Existential is the study of human existence from a phenomenological perspective. This factor is critical in assisting nurses in mediating and reconciling the incongruity of viewing individuals from a holistic view of why attending their hierarchy of needs. As a result, nurses can help patients to find the courage and strength to face death or life the way it is.

My philosophy on nursing, guided by Watson's theory of care, play critical to enable me to perform my roles as a nurse. The first and most important role is the provision of patient care. A nurse is a primary caregiver to patients within and outside the health facility. Nurses are entitled to manage the patient's physical needs, prevent illness, and treat health conditions (Clark, 2016). They achieve these roles by observing and monitoring patients and documenting any relevant information that critical in guiding decision-making during treatment. As a result, they are directly involved in the decision-making process on the patient's treatment because they assess their progress and identify potential problems (Bayuo, 2017). The second role of nurses is an advocate for the patient’s interests and maintain their dignity during treatment.