If I had to pick my primary inspiration for becoming a nurse, it would have to be one incident that occurred during a recent trip to my birth country of Ecuador, to visit my cousin. Twenty minutes after I landed, we went into labor; still with my luggage, we all rushed to the hospital. The second I walked in to this facility, my perspective of nursing changed forever. The labor and delivery unit at the public hospital consisted of what could laughingly be called an operating room, with stretchers lying side by side. During the whole ordeal, the nurses were young, scared and alone in this process. However, there was one nurse who was bouncing from patient to patient helping, smiling, and comforting each girl as if she were her own daughter. Due to the poor conditions and lack of family support, I realized that nursing must have a “connection” component in order to provide the best care for every patient. In this paper, my beliefs and philosophies concerning nursing will be detailed, particularly as they relate to the four metaparadigm concepts.
Nursing, in my opinion, is defined as the art of using science to promote and enhance the wellness in a patient’s life. Nursing is a process that helps create an end product, that product being a healthy patient. The role of a nurse is multi-faceted; nurses should be able to synthesize different aspects of care in order to promote health. A nurse starts this process by being extremely ethical in her behavior, and demonstrating a firm understanding of the field of nursing. Ethics should drive the key to nursing - caring for all patients equally, regardless of their race, age, sex or culture.
Health must be defined as both physical and mental. Physical health refers to having a healthy body, which comes about due to regular physical activity, good nutrition, adequate rest and being free from disease. Mental health refers to peoples’ cognitive and emotional well being, with any mental disorders being treated adequately and with care. We must assume that not everyone’s views of health are the same. There are many different determinants and factors which affect a persons’ view of health: socioeconomic status, education, physical environment, culture and gender, and so on. Understanding and overcoming these differences is crucial to the nurse-patient relationship. We must overlook any differences in order to properly assess and care for all our patients, regardless of these possible variations.
A person is, and is a result of, many layers and variables. Physical, spiritual, psychosocial, and developmental components, in concert with each other, make up a person. Abdellah states: “A person is described as having three needs: physical, emotional and sociological” (citation). Spirituality also plays a major role in defining a person. When certain people become deathly ill, strong spirituality can be key to recovery and dealing with the illness. Nursing reaches far beyond the patient themselves. The emotional reach of a nurse extends to family, friends, and the community as a whole.
The environment can affect patients’ health as well. The environment is all forces, internal and external, that influence and constantly interact in a person’s life . There is an internal environment which represents what the patient feels, and is under his or her control. External environment represents everything else that is beyond said control. It includes his family, his friends, and his community, among others (Reed, 1993). The environment can also be key to a patient’s education and support systems. Nurses must be aware of these differences and be able to overcome and accommodate all patients from many different environments.
Nursing is the art of applying a science to all patients in loving, caring, and compassionate ways. A nurse should thrive to bring health and wellness into every client. Nurses are the direct connection between illness and complete health. I want to become a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner and be able to work in a nursing home. Nursing homes are places where you can always find someone who needs the love and care that only a nurse can offer.
