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I don't know what my philosophy, per se, is, but I will tell you what I think about nursing.
Nursing is not just a job, and the goal of nursing is not to simply earn a paycheck. Nurses should not approach each shift thinking, "I better get out of here on time tonight/in the morning, I better not have to hassle with a bunch of crap during this shift, and if I have one more patient that I am supposed to, I better receive more pay per hour." That isn't the attitude that any nurse who is in it for the right reasons should have. If I have a hectic night at work and have to stay over in the morning to help my coworkers, or catch up on charting, then so be it. If I end up having to take one more patient because we are slammed and can't find another nurse to come in, then okay. I don't want that to be the commonly recurring theme, but I am more than happy to do those things every once in a while. I understand that sometimes things like that happen, and I know that when they do happen they are beyond anyone's control. You won't find me complaining about how uncompensated, over-worked, or burnt out I am if I occasionally have to take an extra patient or stay a little late.

I am interested in nursing (and am in nursing school) because I really care about people. I want to be a critical care nurse because I want to take care of patients and families when they are at their worst. I want to nurse the critically ill back to physical, mental, and spiritual health. I want to provide emotional and spiritual support for the families of the patients in my unit. I want to advocate for my patients, and I want to ensure that I provide the best care that is humanly possible during each shift. If giving that caliber of care means staying late, coming in early, or working myself to the bone during my shift, then I am more than willing to do so.

When I become a nurse, I hope that I never find sliding in at 6:50 PM and sailing out directly after report at 7:30 AM acceptable. I hope that I never develop the attitude that the hospital owes me something simply because I am a nurse. I hope I never begin to say, "I have this one extra patient tonight, and even though he's stable and doesn't require much care, I better be payed extra for this." I hope I always keep the values and ideas that I have now, and I hope that I never develop some of the attitudes that I have seen some nurses display.