Each nurse develops a personal philosophy of nursing concerning an individual understanding of a relationship between the domains of the nursing metaparadigm. These domains include the person, health, nursing, as well as environment (McEwen & Wills, 2019). Nurses formulate their philosophy after deciding how these specific concepts influence their views and practice. Therefore, the personal philosophy of nursing is usually grounded and reflected in nurses’ ethics, values, beliefs, as well as education. The purpose of this paper is to present the discussion of an individual’s philosophy of nursing, analyze the concepts of the nursing metaparadigm, and reflect on their definitions, determining the strongest and weakest concepts. The personal philosophy of nursing should explain what views guide a nurse’s practice and how he or she regards the nursing metaparadigm.
The definitions of the four concepts of the nursing metaparadigm determine nurses’ philosophy, ethics, and practice as a worldview to follow. The person is viewed as a particular recipient of treatment and a nurse’s care. However, different theorists perceive a person in nursing as not only a patient but as any human being, including family members, or as an open system (McEwen & Wills, 2019). Health is regarded as a person’s quality to function independently and live a healthy and full life in terms of physical and mental well-being. The environment is associated with external aspects that can influence persons. Still, some theorists also add internal factors to this concept or include other human beings interacting with patients. The fourth domain is nursing, which is viewed as the science and practice associated with caring for a person to achieve positive health outcomes (Subrata & Phuphaibul, 2019). The definitions of the four concepts are rather general because each theorist and nurse adds a personal vision to these concepts when developing theories or practicing in healthcare facilities.
While discussing the personal nursing philosophy, it is important to state that the vision of metaparadigm concepts was influenced by views regarding the close connection between people’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Therefore, to analyze the personal philosophy, it is necessary to write alternative definitions of the discussed concepts. From an individual perspective, the person is a client and family member who need assistance and holistic care to improve health. In this context, health is a harmonious state of well-being concerning the person’s physical and mental needs. It is possible to view the environment as a complex of conditions and factors that can have both positive and negative effects on a person’s health, and these factors can be modified (Subrata & Phuphaibul, 2019). Nursing is associated with the practice of caring for the person when guaranteeing the achievement of harmonious well-being.
Although there are four concepts in the nursing metaparadigm, some may be excluded or added to this complex, depending on the philosophy of nursing. It is possible to add the concept of a nurse’s caring because it reflects the nature of nurses’ activities when interacting with patients. Still, it is also possible to eliminate the concept of nursing because it is too general to be included as a component of the metaparadigm, and it can be confused with a nursing science (McEwen & Wills, 2019). As a result, it is possible to present one’s nursing paradigm: the person, health, environment, and a nurse’s care.
A nurse’s philosophy of nursing is usually grounded in the personal understanding of the nursing metaparadigm and its components. Although the basic definitions of the four concepts are shared by nurses, they can focus on adding or excluding some factors concerning their own beliefs and views. In this context, it is possible to choose to change the concept of nursing with the concept of a nurse’s caring to accentuate its role in nursing practice.
References
McEwen, M., & Wills, E. M. (2019). Theoretical basis for nursing (5th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Subrata, S. A., & Phuphaibul, R. (2019). A nursing metaparadigm perspective of diabetic foot ulcer care. British Journal of Nursing, 28(6), S38-S50. Web.