My Personal Philosophy of Nursing

Nursing is a way of improving the health of clients and also a way of empowering clients to utilize self-help practices by teaching, caring for and being with the client fully. Nursing is a passionate profession: a combination of both art and science. The science of nursing is the knowledge and the art is the ability to apply that knowledge to real patients. These two aspects of nursing are so closely intertwined that in order to be a competent professional you must truly learn to utilize both in order to optimize patient health.
Health is a subjective term and can mean different things to different people. However, I believe that health may not always be the total absence of illness but the client's ability to cope with illness. Health is an all-encompassing term that includes not only physical health but also emotional and spiritual well-being. It is the nurse's reponsibility to assist the client in achieving a level of health that will allow them to live and perform daily activities.
A very important way of optimizing clients' health is being an advocate for clients and having the ability to work well with other health care providers. To be an advocate for clients a nurse must really listen and try to include the client's wishes and their values and beliefs into a care plan. The nurse must respect the clients autonomy and must respect their right to make their own health care decisions.
My personal beliefs and my own experiences have contributed to my decision to become a nurse. I believe that everyone has a right to achieve the highest level of health possible and as a nurse I truly want to help my clients get there.