Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) are well known for the high degree of care and compassion that they usually offer to patients. In any case, all nurses are expected to offer a warm and welcoming environment to all categories of patients. My philosophy of nursing is geared towards offering caring and patient-focused services as well as developing a close relationship that may eventually expedite the healing process.
This implies that the focus should be completely directed to a patient when admitted to a healthcare facility (Dossey, 2010).
My broad objective as an Advanced Practice Nurse is to inform, offer care and give hope to patients who have been placed under my care. Needless to say, the hidden cause of sickness that is troubling a patient should be established and given prompt attention by an Advanced Practice Nurse. In this case, creating a credible relationship between a nurse and patient is fundamental in the life and practice of an APN.
At any given time, an APN is expected to act expeditiously in surprising the symptoms of a disease. The latter cannot be attained easily especially if the impediments to the process of healing are not tackled or addressed at the right time. When patients are admitted to a healthcare facility, they usually anticipate being granted prompt attention and of course, receive much-needed treatment. If an APN can meet this need beyond the expectation of a patient, then the above philosophy can be put into practice (Barker, 2015).
In my practice as an APN, I prefer the holistic treatment of a patient. This entails giving attention to both the physical and emotional healing processes of a patient. In addition, there are instances when conventional treatment options should be supplemented with modern treatment methods to yield the best results. Hence, my philosophy as a nurse is to make sure that assortments of methods are applied to the letter in meeting the emotional and physical needs of patients (Dossey, 2010).
When proving care to patients as an APN, therapeutic healing methods should also be valued and incorporated. There is no single effective healing process that can only rely on the administration of drugs. Individualized treatment plans should instead be preferred for each patient bearing in mind that conditions can differ significantly.
The healthcare sector stands to benefit a lot from the responsibilities of Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP). For a long time, patient outcomes have been jeopardized owing to the lack of commanding roles from such a position. Hence, evidence-based practice will be stirred up by the DNP especially at a time when the overall nursing practice is facing myriads of challenges (Barker, 2015).
The extra workload in regards to both diagnosis and treatment is inevitable when playing the roles of an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN). There are thousands of nurses who work under the guidance of APNs. Unless they are empowered and motivated to perform their nursing roles, the entire healthcare paradigm can be negatively affected. Complete patient care may not be possible if an APN works in isolation. Hence, I expect to collaborate even more with nurses below my rank.
On a final note, I must reiterate that nursing offers the best teaching and learning opportunities. As a professional working in this field, I am ready to be continually modeled and shaped by further education in advanced practice nursing. Besides, I am eager to share the knowledge acquired in the field to advance the aspirations and learning zeal of other nurses.
References
Barker, A. M. (2015). Advanced practice nursing. New York: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Dossey, B. (2010). Holistic nursing: from Florence Nightingale’s historical legacy to 21st-century global nursing. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 16(5), 14-16.