Introduction
Nursing is a kind of profession that requires passion and love to serve one’s patients as good as possible. Each nurse in their practice tends to develop their own philosophy, which is a fusion of principles, beliefs, and moral values. Every nurse’s unique philosophy begins with the evaluation of every aspect of nursing and what it means for the particular individual. This essay will revolve around meta paradigms of nursing, its practice, the nature of caring and discuss my perspective on the social purpose of nursing.
Nursing Metaparadigm
The meaning of nursing is revealed through the four components of nursing metaparadigm: person, health, nursing, and environment. I believe that a profession of nursing needs to be mostly about the patients. Care for people usually means that a medic should pay attention to the whole well-being of a patient, not just a part of it. As a medical professional, a person needs to learn and consider every aspect of a sufferer’s life to better care for them. A patient is a central figure in nursing, and medical workers should always pick an optimal way to tend their illnesses.
Second, my philosophy views health as an actively changing and positive thing. It shifts from illness to wellness and vice versa, depending on the factors surrounding a person. Health is something that reflects a person’s quality of life; it changes based on stress, substance abuse, unhealthy lifestyle, and other variables. In such a philosophical view, health is like a chameleon, which shifts its colors to reflect the current environment.
Moreover, even though nurses must take care of the people in their custody, they also have to be with their patients and support them psychologically during challenging moments. In other words, nurses have to be involved in the person’s life. Medical workers need to make a person’s in custody personal situation meaningful, which means making a patient feel listened to, understood, and truly cared for (Branch, Deak, Hiner, & Hoizwart, 2016). Different situations, indeed, require different approaches, but a nurse’s main task is to connect with the people.
Lastly, while people are an essential part of nursing, there is also a severe need to look beyond a patient and their environment. People who require a nurse’s help generally have different stories and backgrounds, which also demands full understanding. A nurse cannot be insensitive, insulting a surrounding where a specific person has been living. Furthermore, a nurse cannot separate a person from their environment and background because they are, in fact, inseparable, and sometimes, it can help one understand a particular patient’s behavior better.
Nature of Nursing Practice
If to speak about my philosophy, I believe that a nurse has to be caring and thoughtful. They have to honestly care for a patient and make the hospital feel like home with their attitude. However, some nurse theorists mention that nurses have to be medical professionals, and they do not have to include emotional support in their daily routine (Chinn & Kramer, 2018). While professionalism and medical training are, indeed, important, I still believe that emotional support has to be prioritized.
Moreover, some theorists mention that nurses have to allow for their patients’ autonomy because, otherwise, they would not be willing to recover. In my opinion, this view is flawed, because, although it is essential to enable individual freedom, patients still need to be in full view of a nurse. The role and functions of a nurse, according to some theorists, have to depend on the situation (Chinn & Kramer, 2018). They believe that some people require empathetic understanding, while others prefer to maintain a professional relationship (Delictas, Korukcu, Aydin, & Kabukcuoglu, 2019). In my opinion, that view is also partially flawed because all people need compassion and empathy even if they say otherwise.
Nature of Caring
Some nursing theorists define caring as the moral ideal of nursing while others see it as something that needs to be ignored during the working hours. In my opinion, caring is the protection and preservation of human dignity, which is why nurses should embrace this idea while working with people. Human beings’ care needs to involve some values, knowledge, and proper care for a patient.
Moreover, the general interaction between a nurse and a patient needs to be based on the details of the patient’s illness, and the knowledge of a background. A medic has to understand that the essence and nature of social care contribute to patients’ psychological wellness and a physical well-being. However, some theorists still believe that human-to-human caring acts cannot be validated and viewed positively (Chinn & Kramer, 2018). Alas, I think this worldview is also flawed because caring for patients is more than just a job-required performance; it lifts a patient’s spirit and helps them recover quickly.
The dedication and commitment to a particular individual can be crucial in the patient’s further fate. A specific action can not only gradually lift the spirit of a person, but also has the power to enhance the speed of their recovery. Within my philosophy, care and love are the most mysterious but helpful forces that can have the ability to strengthen one’s health and psychic energy levels. Some nurses overlook the need for care, but the basic human dignity requires it at some point.
Social Purpose of Nursing
Nursing is a social practice as nurses, in general, tend to communicate with patients daily in order to better their life. The meaning of nursing care is connected to the understanding of a social context of a patient’s health issues, their background, and overall psychological health. Nurses have to become professional psychologists for the time a patient is in their care. Social interactions give patients a needed calming in their uneasy circumstances, and the nurses can make interesting acquaintances at the same time.
However, some nurses find it challenging to adapt to an active social life; although, as for me, that would give a sense of motivation because I enjoy helping people. Professionals who truly engage with their patients’ lives and give them genuine empathy can experience a feeling of completeness. As written in Chinn’s practical part, he and his co-author were engaged in their patients’ lives, sometimes forming genuine friendships, which helped them in their work (Chinn & Kramer, 2018). They have created strong bonds with their patients, which I also hope to achieve at some point in my medical career.
Conclusion
To conclude, nursing is a morally challenging work, which requires empathy and understanding of a patient, their background, character, environment, and professionalism from a nurse. In my personal philosophy, creating strong bonds with a patient is essential because everyone needs support, especially when they are in a medical facility. A nurse has to make that place feel like a friendly place and not a nightmare. A patient has to be a central figure in nursing, and medical professionals do not have to underestimate the power of moral support.
References
Branch, C., Deak, H., Hiner, C., & Hoizwart, T. (2016). Four nursing metaparadigms. Undergraduate research journal, 16. Web.
Chinn, P. L., & Kramer, M. (2018). Knowledge development in nursing: Theory and process. (10th ed.). St Louis: Elsevier
Delictas, A., Korukcu, O., Aydin, R., & Kabukcuoglu, K. (2019). Nursing students’ perceptions of nursing metaparadigms: A phenomenological study. The journal of nursing research, 27(5). Web.