Philosophy of Nursing

[ADNRN]

Below is my philosophy of nursing. I welcome any criticism or discussion. And maybe you could post your own philosophy of nursing. All nurses should have one, right?

Monistic Nursing

"The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

-- St. John 17:22-23 (NRSV)

When I think of myself as a solitary being in a world full of other solitary beings I am a victim of my own illusion. The multiplicity of individual beings is an illusion. There is only one being, and we are all it. Therefore, when I care for others, I care for myself; when I fail to care for others I hurt myself. In short: I am the other person, as much as I am me.

I call this philosophy of nursing "monistic nursing," and it centers on the idea that there's no real separation between the caregiver and the one receiving care; there's only the illusion of separation or differentiation. Nursing, in this regard, is a selfish act but with a twist: the definition of the self is extended outward to include other selves, and in so doing, the natural force of self-interest becomes the driving motivation to provide comprehensive and quality care.

In addition, monistic nursing doesn't stop at the patient; it includes everyone the nurse comes in contact with. It includes the patient's family, the nurse's coworkers, the management, and personnel from other departments. Monistic nursing considers all persons to be just one person. I am the housekeeper. I am the woman at the bedside suffering anticipatory grief. I am my coworker who's having a hard day.

So, the definition of nursing becomes an act whereby we demonstrate the belief that the word "I" is universal rather than solitary. "Nursing" and "Love" become synonymous.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

hello!

My philosophy on nursing is a tad different, but with most of the same ends...

I am not a christian... I try to live my life within the realm of the Wiccan Rede... Do what thou will, and harm ye none is the short of it... kinda the golden rule... unfortunately, its not that cut and dried...

I also attempt to follow near the footsteps of a partictular Celtic Goddess-- Brighid..... the christian equivalent/saint is Saint Brigit..

Brighid is a triple goddess, in other words, she can fall into the role of Maiden, Mother or Crone... and, within our practice, our patients may need us to fall into different varients of these roles... an elderly resident might need someone to impart knowledge onto... someone to talk to to tell about the old times... another resident might need someone to care for them... a patient might need us to be wise and 'all knowing', tempered by experience, and willing to share the knowledge freely; but, these are not the only roles...

Brighid is a goddess of healing, poetry and armor making... these skills/abilities are definately within the realm of the nurse of today... we want to be able to heal our patients, we need to be able to carefully word what we have done and put it to paper, and we need to be able to protect ourselves and others with an armor of PPE and good sence (as well as being able to fix things and improvise setups on the go...)

I also believe in 'paying it forward'... the world is too small, and each lifetime too short not to be kind to your fellow man... :)

Blessed be

--Barbara

I'm a Pagan as well, and I believe that the Rede has actually disciplined me. I am at the tail end of nursing school (LPN), and it the self discovery that occurred made me realize that I have to step it up in regard to my commitment to people. This is a serious responsibility and I don't take either the Rede or nursing lightly.

Blessed Be...