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In my opinion, nursing is a profession in which one’s personal beliefs and a feeling of a calling, a feeling of having a mission, are one of the most important traits. Nursing presupposes active involvement into the life and well-being of other people. Moreover, these people, the patients, are in most cases feeling more vulnerable and anxious than ordinary people in everyday life, and a nurse must possess his/her own method of approaching such people, dealing with their needs, supporting them and leading them by a very positive, empowering, and optimistic example.
Therefore, I believe that a person-centred approach is the most useful in the nursing profession. I think that a nurse should focus primarily on the specific characteristics of every individual patient, determine their goals, explore their fears, be able to listen to them, and transform all of this information into a solid basis of treatment. Respect of other person’s values and experience is key within such an approach (Draper & Tetley, 2013). Nowadays, different research methods and practices lead to a conclusion that the mental state of a patient is one of the most powerful tools for them to use and heal themselves; and there has to be a person that explains it clearly, comprehensively and compassionately to the patient. I believe that a nurse that takes a leadership role and guides the patient psychologically, is one of the best professionals. The interaction between a nurse and a patient shows how interrelated are the beliefs and philosophy of a health care professional and the needs and mind state of a patient. This topic is researched in detail in the article by Nilsen et al. (2014).
References
Draper, J., and J. Tetley (2013). The importance of person-centred approaches to nursing care. OpenLearn. Retrieved from http://www.open.edu/openlearn/body-mind/health/nursing/the-importance-person-centred-approaches-nursing-care
Nilsen, M., Sereika, S.M., Hoffman, L.A., Barnato, A., Donovan, H., and M.B. Happ (2014). Nurse and patient interaction behaviors effects on nursing care quality for mechanically ventilated, older adults in the ICU. US National Library of Medicine. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4040337/
