Help - Philosophy of nursing paper

[laddieo]

Hi all, I'm a newbie to this site. It looked interesting and helpful - especially for students. Does anyone have suggestions for writing about/discovering your personal and professional values? I basically need to write my philosophy of nursing but don't really know where to start. Thanks for any help!!

[Entepe]

Hi!

I would go about writing a philosophy of nursing paper in one of two ways. I am Canadian, and I know the Canadian Nurses Association has a Code of Ethics on their website. I'm sure the U.S Nurses Association has the same. The table of contents from the CNA Code of Ethics has "Nursing values defined" followed by "Nursing Values and Responsibility Statements". I would use those as a guideline.

Also, in one of our core nursing texts, there is a small segment on nursing philosohy. The book states that the nursing profession began to shift it's focus from a traditional scientific perspective to a broader focus (encompassing philosophy, and the social sciences), which was based on Thomas Kuhn's work; The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962). "This new way of thinking about the philosophy of science led nurses to consider that their theoretical frameworks were not simply theoretical propostions about logical relationships among concepts, but represented actual worldviews, or paradigms, in understanding the complexities of nursing. (Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing, 2001). The book goes on to describe various nursing theories and models, namely those of Florence Nightingale, Virginia Henderson, Dorothy Orem, Hildegard Peplau, Jean Watson, Newman, among many others.

I would ask your instructor for clarification...philosophy based on sound nursing ethics/principles/standards, from a theoretical point of view, or both?

I hope I haven't confused you more than anything...I hope it helps! The book by Kuhn is a classic. I found it very hard to read, yet it really shifted my perspective of science. It's worth reading if you can stomach it!

Best wishes from a snow covered city!

Entepe

[NurseguyFL]

You could also begin by doing a review of the various nursing philsophers/leaders and identifying with the one that most closely resembles your own philosophy of nursing. Or you could take parts from several of them to make up your own. (If you borrow ideas from any nursing philosoher, make sure to give credit and cite the source.) The paper should reflect your personal values, opinions, ideas, and beliefs about nursing. You should also reflect on the issues that influenced your decision to become a nurse and what good quality patient care means to you. Conclude the paper with consideration of some issues in nursing practice today that you feel should be changed, why you feel they need to be changed and how, and how you intend to incorporate these ideas in your own nursing practice in ways that both improve the quality of care you give to your patients as well as enhance your professional relationships with patients and colleagues.

Good luck with the paper!

[laddieo]

Thank you so much for your suggestions, they definitly helped.