Running head: PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING 1

Personal Philosophy of Nursing

Kyle Henshaw

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

Nursing 4142: Synthesis for Nursing Practice

Dr. Turner

March 20, 2018

“I pledge”
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Personal Philosophy of Nursing

Throughout my path of higher education, numerous philosophies have shaped the way I

have learned in the past. Coming from Bridgewater College, a small private liberal arts school, to

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing (BSMCON), a specialized institution that will

prepare me for the rest of my life, I have experienced some different values and beliefs that will

help shape my own personal philosophy of nursing. In this particular paper, I will define what I

think nursing is, how my philosophy is reflected in my nursing practice, provide examples for

supporting evidence, and discuss any changes in values or beliefs from my previous written

philosophy. I will also describe Patricia Benner’s theory, while also including which stage I think

my skill acquisition represents my professional development. To conclude this paper, I will

provide with three ways I can improve my professional development to take that next step to a

higher stage of skill acquisition.

Nursing: Including Tenets from the Program

Nursing is a broad term that can be defined by many people in many different ways. To

me, nursing is providing care to an individual that can promote, prevent, or facilitate their

healing process. Nursing can be done in the community setting, for example, by educating the

population of how to prevent illness; but it can also be done in the acute setting by providing care

one on one with a patient in their most vulnerable time. As previously mentioned, nursing can be

defined in multiple ways but a nurse must also be very flexible. They must be able to adapt to

adversity, continue to grow or learn, and promote empowerment to oneself as well as their

patients. Nurses must utilize and continue their education by using evidence based practice while

also being accountable for their actions. Tenets from our program’s philosophy statement that

will also help define nursing include: nursing, nursing education, caring, health, and service
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(BSMCON Faculty Handbook). These five core tenets are incorporated throughout the entire

nursing program at Bon Secours and are integrated into each class. Throughout these classes I

have been able to give my services to provide many opportunities to develop myself as a servant

leader. This work in the community has allowed myself to see the other side of nursing and how

powerful the nursing field is. I believe by encountering these experiences that I am ahead of the

game compared to someone from another program.

Personal Philosophy and Has My Values and Beliefs Changed?

A philosophy of nursing is the framework on which the profession itself stands on and is

guided by. Nursing philosophies incorporate principles and statements based on beliefs and

values that are used for bases of thinking and acting. Within this particular profession, there are

two different sources of nursing philosophy; individual philosophies created by each nurse and

collective philosophies which are shaped by schools, medical systems, and nursing

organizations. If there was not a framework for professional nurses to go by, the profession itself

would be confusing and inconsistent with no guideline for nurses on how to conduct themselves

as they attempt to give quality care to patients.

In terms of values and beliefs, these are two distinctly different concepts that come

together to create a philosophy, such as a nursing philosophy. Values are principles or standards

that an individual choses to give meaning and direction towards life. Examples of my own

personal values include responsibility, trust, and accountability. Beliefs are an individual’s own

convictions or opinions of what is true or false and correct or incorrect based on personal

experiences. Believing in teamwork, in the effectiveness of practicing holistic medicine, and in

giving all patients equal care are all examples of my own personal beliefs.
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In expression of my own personal philosophy of nursing, even though it will continue to

grow and adapt as I advance in the field of nursing, I do not believe it has changed since I started

the program here at Bon Secours. In my past and current philosophy, I believe in giving the best

care possible given the situation at hand, taking a holistic approach, and attaining the trust of

individual patients by letting them know that I will be there for them no matter what. I can easily

relate my current nursing philosophy to my values and beliefs. When considering values, it is

vital to take responsibility of my role as a nurse to give care to patients. Trust is a huge factor,

especially when attaining the trust of patients to help them get comfortable with me being their

nurse. Accountability ties in with both responsibility and trust, with me owning up to my actions

and the way I treat patients. My beliefs also come into the picture as I will always be working on

a team with other nurses and health professionals, giving patients a multidisciplinary approach to

enhance their care. I would also like to include taking a holistic approach to my nursing

philosophy, which takes into consideration the bigger picture and being practical with patients’

care. Lastly, as I stated before, I believe in giving equal care to all patients which is also the best

care I can possibly give.

Nurse-Patient Encounter Demonstrating Your Personal Philosophy

From working in the hospital and the numerous amounts of clinical hours BSMCON

requires, there are multiple nurse-patient encounters that could demonstrate the application of my

personal philosophy in the nursing profession. One instance that always stands out to me is the

time where I acted as a patient care tech. We received a new admit on the unit from the recovery

room that was very needy with family just as needy. On my unit, General Surgery, nurses are

always six to one. So I knew receiving this patient initially that it was going to be a struggle

making them happy. I was able to put on my customer service face and smoothly guide them into
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our unit. I assisted the nurse as much as possible and assured them that we are doing the best we

can. I had to let them know that on our unit the ratio is different than that of the PACU but also

little things like water or juice can be received by family from the galley, thus omitting some of

the call bells throughout the day. Incorporating my nursing philosophy as a patient care tech

helped me deal with this family and patient. I was able to work as a team with my nurse, start to

build rapport with the patient to build trust, and think holistically to initiate the healing process

for our patient. The next day when I came in I heard nothing but positive remarks about all of our

staff and the unit as a whole. These encouraging comments motivated myself and others on the

unit to continue to strive to give the best care possible.

Patricia Benner’s Theory: From Novice to Expert

Patricia Benner is a nursing theorist that developed an experience level theory for nursing

practice. She was able to create this theory by utilizing an existing theory called the Dreyfus

Model of Skill Acquisition from Stuart and Hubert Dreyfus (Benner, 2001). Benner incorporated

nursing experience, skills, and education in order to develop her theory into a nursing focused

model. She believed that with the increased acuity levels of patients and decreased length of stay

for patients that there is a higher need for skilled nurses (Benner, 2001). There are five different

stages in Benner’s theory that include: novice, advance beginner, competent, proficient, and

expert. The novice stage includes nursing students that are just starting out in the program. These

students tend to be uneducated for clinical events and are unable to recognize patient situations,

making them limited to their abilities that they can perform. By experience, they are usually very

timid and shy when it comes to patient interaction. The second stage is advanced beginner,

which involves the new graduates in their first jobs. These individuals are starting to get

comfortable into their new roles but are still restricted in noticing certain patient or clinical
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situations. The competent stage or third stage of Benner’s theory contains nurses that have a

small amount of experience and can notice those same clinical situations much faster than the

previous two stages. These nurses are not as fast but are able to prioritize and organize their day

efficiently. The next stage is the proficient stage. During this stage, nurses are using their

experience to their advantage. They are able to learn at a faster rate than the stages before and

can see the whole picture versus just sections at a time. The last stage is the expert stage. In this

stage, Benner discusses how nurses are able to do all of the previous things but more efficient

and faster. They are able to recognize situations, organize their time, notice trends, look at the

whole picture, use their knowledge, and focus on relevant issues related to the patient. I would

assume nurses in this stage are rarely seen, especially with the always changing practice of

nursing.

Stage of Skill Acquisition

Using Patricia Benner’s theory: From Novice to Expert or Skill Acquisition in Nursing

Model, I believe I fit into stage two: advanced beginner stage. This stage includes new graduates

in their first jobs but with enough experience to recognize certain situations that may occur in the

field often. Even though I am not an official graduate quite yet, I do believe that I am in this

stage because of the way BSMCON shapes their students throughout the curriculum. The

countless clinical hours, practicum experiences, and numerous educational simulations have been

able to solidify the learning experience. With that being said, I believe that it has enabled myself

to skip stage one: novice because of my experience with BSMCON. Throughout the experiences

as a student we are able to observe different opportunities and clinical diagnoses to help engrain

the way we critically think. I believe being able to critically think and experience in the field is

what assists us to move from one stage to the next.

3 Ways to Move to the Next Stage of Skill Acquisition

I can accomplish moving forward to the next stage of skill acquisition, the competent

stage, by incorporating three things into my nursing practice to help facilitate this advancement.

The competent stage focuses on being able to recognize patterns and clinical situations faster, as

well as having a better understanding on prioritizing, organization, and planning skills. The first

thing I can do to improve my skills to reach this level is by gaining experience. The more I work

the better I will understand how to do all of these things just from the experience alone.

Secondly, I will continue my education and lifelong learning by searching out pertinent

continuing education courses. These courses will not only keep my licensure active by reaching

the requirements from the Virginia Board of Nursing but will also help broaden my knowledge

of the nursing field. Finally, the last thing I will do to help myself advance to the next stage

would include observing my seasoned nurses. These nurses have been practicing for a while and

I can grow from them by incorporating their positive traits into my own practice. For example, a

seasoned coworker of mine may have the best time management and organizational skills with

giving morning medication. I can observe them, as well as asking for their input in helping me

improve my skills to be as efficient as they are.

In conclusion, my philosophy which contains quality care and trust with a holistic

approach will help me focus on learning what I need to know to become a successful and

personable nurse. As I learn more at the end of my BSMCON career and start of my nursing

profession, I am sure that my philosophy will change and evolve. This evolvement will only be

for the better of my academic advancement and practice as a nurse in the future.
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References

Benner, P. (2001). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing practice.

New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing Faculty Handbook. (2017). Richmond, Virginia: Bon

Secours Memorial College of Nursing.