Introduction
As a nurse, I believe since the time of Florence Nightingale, the goal of nursing has always remained the same, namely to provide a safe and caring environment that promotes patient health and well-being (Selanders & Crane, 2012). This goal forms the foundation of the nursing philosophy. In other words, my nursing philosophy aligns to provide a safe and caring nursing environment that promotes overall patient well-being. A safe environment is a healing environment. In this case, to provide a safe and healing environment, it is critical as a nurse to integrate effective use of an interpersonal tool, such as advocacy, and promote a caring environment.
Main body
The four meta-paradigm of nursing include person, environment, health, and nursing. The interpretation of a person as a nursing metaparadigm is the promotion of the practices that satisfy human needs through social care. It focuses on the patient who, in this case, is the person or the recipient of care (Branch et al., 2016). Every person has his or her unique needs that imperative to be honored and met within the framework of providing care.
In order for a person to receive full healing within a healthcare environment, a holistic approach is necessary that focuses on the mind, body, and soul. On the metaparadigm of the situation, it is critical to note that the environment plays an essential role within the nursing process. An environment has a direct impact on the patient’s healing process as well as the nursing ability to provide care. A safe nursing environment is critical for the patient’s healing process and nurses as well (Branch et al., 2016).
On the metaparadigm of nursing, Watson offered an insight into the need for nurses to establish relationships with their patients. Although medicine and science are therapeutic factors, relationship building is essential in establishing cooperation between the nurses and the patients. On the metaparadigm of health, nurses are required to take a holistic approach with their patients (Nikfarid et al., 2018).
The plan should focus on the patient’s mind, body, and soul. For effective healing, there is a need for nurses to establish a complete balance of a patient’s physical, cognitive, and spiritual self. In other words, nurses have the responsibility to unify these three components to be able to achieve proper health. In my opinion, I believe the four meta paradigms of nursing cover the nursing concept in its entirety as it focuses on nursing, concepts, patient, environment, and conditions that influence health.
Reflection
The development of my nursing philosophy is inextricably linked to the learning process that has given me experience, and my views on the nursing mission have changed. From my role as a secondary staff performing routine functions, the image of a nurse in my perception has evolved into a critical figure in the art of nursing. The essential principle of nursing philosophy is respect for life, dignity, and human rights (“What is a Philosophy of Nursing,” 2016). On this basis, a nurse should not see a patient as just another client, but as an individual who represents an integral whole with his or her inner capacity for growth and development.
Only in a few cases can a nurse, who should be considered a priori strong spirit and cold-blooded, be confronted with ideas that break down personal philosophy. In the course of medical practice, as in any other field of activity, one inevitably faces the fact that familiar views of the world are collapsing. As a rule, an event or phenomenon that has occurred has come into conflict with a person’s perception of the world.
A similar situation happened to me when I was engaged in nursing activities. In my case, due to my profession, I had to meet a patient who was aggressive and did not want to make a medical compromise. The principles of philosophy show the need to treat the patient with respect and trembling, but it is implicitly a two-way relationship. As a result, I had to reconsider some of my perceptions, and I did not conflict with the patient because the nurse must remain the guarantor of peace, care, and love.
Within my philosophy of care, self-determination and independence of the patient are not the least important. They are inextricably linked to the capacity of the patient and are realized by consenting to the treatment that the patient gives after he or she has received information about his or her state of health. When I faced the choice of relatively aggressive treatment of the patient, I decided not to cheat on myself and did not treat the patient without his consent. Thus, I only reinforced the idea of how important it is to respect the patient’s choices. Although, it is certainly worth mentioning that there are situations when one cannot ignore a threat to a person’s life, and in such an emergency, the head doctor or a surrogate decides to continue treatment without requiring the patient’s consent.
The essence of the professional medical practice lies in four planes: care, patient, health, and environment. The metaparadigm of nursing involves each of the elements, creating a kind of instruction for the novice nurse (Rosa, Estes, & Watson, 2017). It is a collection of fundamental theories and ideas about how nursing practice should function. The four paradigms can be linked as follows: the environment affects the health of the person who then turns to the nursing staff for care.
Conclusion
The original philosophy I described earlier has not undergone a radical metamorphosis. Taking into account the past tense and accumulated experience, we can say that the initial model of perception of nursing was polished in the same way as a sculpture is made of stone, and insignificant parts were broken off. I now pay more attention to the versatile personality of the patient than to create an environment. Of course, creating an environment for comfortable treatment is very important, but in these conditions, you cannot be negative or ignore the wishes of the patient.
References
Branch, C., Deak, H., Hiner, C., & Holzwart, T. (2016). Four Nursing Metaparadigms. IU South Bend Undergraduate Research Journal, 16, 123-132.
Nikfarid, L., Hekmat, N., Vedad, A., & Rajabi, A. (2018). The main nursing metaparadigm concepts in human caring theory and Persian mysticism: a comparative study. Journal of medical ethics and history of medicine, 11.
Rosa, W., Estes, T., & Watson, J. (2017). Caring science conscious dying: an emerging metaparadigm. Nursing Science Quarterly, 30(1), 58-64.
Selanders, L., & Crane, P. (2012). The voice of Florence Nightingale on advocacy. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 17(1).
What is a Philosophy of Nursing? (2016). Web.