Introduction
The establishment of a nursing philosophy plays a crucial role in nursing practice and career growth. Even though all nurses study the same principles, theories, and regulations, each person shares specific beliefs and attitudes toward the environment, which provokes the promotion of unique approaches to care and treatment. The author of four nursing meta paradigms, Fawcett, admits that today, the awareness of paradigms contributes to an intellectual recognition of nursing fundamentals and the reduction of burnout (as cited in Deliktas et al., 2019). In addition, such external factors as interactions with patients and colleagues and classroom experience define the skills of nurses. Finally, many nursing theories reflect the way of how care is offered. A personal nursing philosophy is an opportunity to combine theoretical and practical aspects, consider individual interests and beliefs, and understand the uniqueness of nursing practice through the prism of the existing concepts. In this paper, the evaluation of meta paradigms and the theory of human caring by Jean Watson will be developed to prove the importance of holistic care, communication, and research in nursing practice.
Personal Philosophy and Nursing Metaparadigms
To introduce a strong and effective nursing philosophy that corresponds to my personal beliefs and knowledge, I should think about what nursing means to me and how I understand the concepts in nursing meta paradigms. There are four well-known categories, including person, health, environment, and nursing, with specific characteristics and purposes (Branch et al., 2016). The human factor refers to people in a particular society or culture (Deliktas et al., 2019). My nursing philosophy reveals a person as an individual (and a family) who needs care, support, and information to comprehend what happens around. The environment paradigm covers social, economic, and other factors that influence human health (Deliktas et al., 2019). I believe that an understanding of the internal and external factors promotes effective treatment and healing. Therefore, patients and their families must be satisfied with the environment they receive with nursing care. Human experiences, knowledge, and relationships with other people determine the environment quality.
The concepts of health and nursing services as the two basic elements in my nursing philosophy. Human health cannot be improved from one perspective only to uphold successful treatment. It has to be physical and mental wellbeing with appropriate social functioning. A healthy person means a happy and physically sustainable individual. In addition to professional recommendations developed by doctors, the role of nurses cannot be ignored. Therefore, nursing is a meta paradigm that sets the tone for my philosophy. Communication with patients, provision of information, prevention of diseases, and restoration of health are the responsibilities of nurses who take care of patients and their families. To complete such goals, a nurse should enhance critical thinking, decision-making, and research skills. It is important to turn dry facts and treatment plans that are clear for the medical staff into meaningful information and knowledge for patients with limited or poor healthcare experience. In general, my position is not simple, but if each aspect of nursing care is discussed from the four meta paradigms, positive health results can be achieved.
Nursing Theory and Personal Beliefs
Regarding the nature of my nursing philosophy and the expected duties of nurses in patient care, I investigate several current theories. There are many strong approaches offered by Nightingale, Henderson, or Johnson, and all of them are correct in their visions of nursing, health, and patients. However, I realize that the position introduced by Jean Watson about the importance of human caring is the most compatible with my beliefs and feelings.
Technological progress, clinical trials, and cultural variety result in the necessity to re-examine health and nursing knowledge all the time. According to Watson (as cited in Pajnkihar et al., 2017), caring must be based on practice and research. Her theory articulates that caring should be separated from curing because the latter focuses on healing disease, and the former includes the enhancement of the mind, body, and soul (Branch et al., 2016). Ten creative factors are the core components of Watson’s theory, including hope, humanism, help, sensibility, problem-solving, teaching, emotion expression, needs, environment, and spirituality (Pajnkihar et al., 2017). Almost all these issues are observed in my philosophy, including the importance of research and education, helping patients and their families, and correct expression of needs and emotions. As well as Watson, I believe that care (not just treatment and healing) is necessary for patients. Many people take are responsible for health improvement (doctors), emotional support (family), and progressive techniques (researchers). Nurses have to find a balance between these parties and make sure wellbeing is promoted.
Conclusion
The introduction and discussion of a personal nursing theory is not just an academic or professional obligation of future nurses. It is a good chance for people to realize if they are ready for the chosen profession and if they make a correct decision. If some problems or concerns occur in formulating thoughts about nursing, it means that a person does not have enough knowledge and confidence to become a good nurse. In this paper, I was able to compare my beliefs and thoughts with other successful theorists and nurses, and the fact that I discovered similarities makes me think that I am on the right track.
References
Branch, C., Deak, H., Hiner, C., & Holzwart, T. (2016). Four nursing metaparadigms. IU South Bend Undergraduate Research Journal, 16, 123-132.
Deliktas, A., Korukcu, O., Aydin, R., & Kabukcuoglu, K. (2019). Nursing students’ perceptions of nursing metaparadigms: A phenomenological study. The Journal of Nursing Research, 27(5).
Pajnkihar, M., Štiglic, G., & Vrbnjak, D. (2017). The concept of Watson’s carative factors in nursing and their (dis) harmony with patient satisfaction. PeerJ, 5.