celine boutin- nursing philosophy
DESCRIPTION
Nursing PhilosophyTRANSCRIPT
Nursing is something that can be defined very broadly depending on who you ask. To me
nursing can be defined as hard work, devotion, and a desire to care for others. I see nursing as both a
science and an art because nursing mixes together a world of knowledge and technology into therapeutic
communication and careful interventions. Most importantly however, nursing is about compassion and
care. I believe that being a nurse means doing my best to make sure that I am compassionate, dedicated,
and focused so that my patients can receive the best care possible.
For me nursing is the perfect profession because it combines my love of science with my desire
to care. I want to be a nurse so that I can do what I love. I know that I will be a good nurse one day
because I am thoughtful, driven, responsible, and empathetic. While I am excited to be a nurse one day,
I did not always know that nursing was for me. When I began my career as a student at The University
of New Hampshire (UNH) I was enrolled in both philosophy and pre-medical classes with the intention
of becoming a pediatrician. As my classes progressed I realized that I was not satisfied when I thought
about my future in medical school and eventually as a pediatrician. I wanted to be in a field where I
could work with patients sooner and where I could really build a relationship with my patients when I
saw them.
This is when I started to think about the UNH Nursing program. I had a few friends in the
nursing program who really enjoyed the program so they encouraged me to try it. I decided that I was
going to take the most nursing courses that I could as a philosophy major and then apply to transfer. I
ended up loving the classes that I took so I submitted my application and in March of my sophomore
year I found out that I had been accepted into the nursing program. I was ecstatic because I knew that
nursing was right for me.
Now that I am a nursing major I have been able to spend a lot of time observing older nursing
students and observing nurses. I have found that I frequently look to older nursing students for
inspiration because it is so easy to see myself in them. I also look to practicing nurses for inspiration
because I think that there is a lot of learning that happens outside of nursing school. I especially look to
my aunts who are nurses because throughout time and challenge they still love their work and give it
their all. This is how I want to be in the future, I do not want to be burnt out or pessimistic after working
in the nursing field for a while. I also look to my aunts to see how they are able to balance patients and
time. I hope that when I am a nurse I am able to remain focused on individuals instead of time; I want to
remain dedicated to patient centered care.
Patient centered care is when nurses focus on the patient above all else. This means that nurses
take patient views and values into consideration and work with these instead of against them. I think
patient centered care is valuable because it also works to improve the nurse-patient relationship. I think
that relationships are essential in nursing because I believe that patients are more likely to take health
advice from someone they trust and respect. I have often heard health defined as the absence of disease,
but to me it is much more than that. To me, health is the balance and harmony of one’s body, mind, and
spirit. Being healthy is eating well and exercising, but also setting aside time for activities that stimulate
the mind or relax the spirit. It is important to acknowledge that as humans we are more than a body and
therefore we have to care for more than just our body.
Another important piece of this idea of health for me is one’s environment. One way to be
healthy and to truly care for one’s self is to be in a positive and appropriate environment. When
someone has to stay at a hospital or a nursing home I think that it is important to create a positive and
suitable environment for them. This can be accomplished by focusing on the patient and applying patient
centered care techniques. By asking patients if they are comfortable or what they like and dislike I think
that I can not only improve patients’ environments’ but my relationship with the patient. When I am a
nurse I want to make sure that I am aware of my patients’ environments’ as well as my own. I want to
make sure that I work in an environment that I truly enjoy whether that is delivery, or pediatrics, or even
a specific hospital. I think that if I am able to truly enjoy my environment then I would be more likely to
provide better care. In general, I believe that self-care is just as important as the care of others.
In summary, there are quite a few teachings that guide me as a nurse. First of all, as I mentioned,
I want to make sure that I am always putting the patient first. The reason that there are nurses is because
there are patients that need to be cared for. Secondly, I want to always care to the best of my ability. At
the end of the day I want to know that I gave my patients the best care possible. Finally, I want to make
sure that I take care of my self. If I want to care for others I have to make sure that I am also caring for
my own mind, body, and spirit. Throughout my education and career as a nurse I know that if I keep
these guidelines in mind practice I will not only be a successful nurse but a nurse who can be proud of
my own work and accomplishments.
Bibliography
Berwick, D. M. (2009). What ‘patient-centered” should mean: Confessions of an extremist. Health
Affairs, 28(4), 555-565.
Fadiman, A. (1997). The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Iseminger, K., Levitt, F. & Kirk, L. (2009) Healing During Existential Moments: The “Art” of Nursing
Presence. Nursing.theclinics.com, 44(1), 447-459.
Leebov, W. (2009). Nursing communication: How to make sure patients feel our caring. Allnurses:
General Articles About Nursing. Retrieved from http://allnurses.com/nurse-colleague-
patient/nursing-communication-how-378288.html.
Nightingale, F. (1957). Notes on Nursing. London: Harrison and Sons.