A definition that includes fundamental views about the facts of primary concern to a discipline, epistemic statements concerning how those facts come to be recognized, and ethical statements about nursing values is considered a nursing philosophy. It is beneficial to investigate different methods for nursing practice and education. The impact of nursing principles on performance and approach to life is reflected in the statement, which aids the nursing profession in critical thinking. Experience gained through the work and skills and knowledge developed further in the process highly affects personal philosophy.
As it presents a standpoint on a discipline, the metaparadigm can be used to comprehend professional ideas. The metaparadigm for nursing describes the human nature, environment, healthcare, and care principles that comprise the nursing field. The concept of nursing emphasizes the importance of the patient as the object of care. It includes the nature of individuals and how it ties to the nursing profession as a science. The core tenets of Ricouer’s Selfhood and Cartesian Dualism argue that the mind and the body are autonomous but state the interdependent parts of the human being (Martinez et al., 2019). Their theories support that the senses are extensions of the physique and that the immaterial mind directs and gives meaning to the physical body’s ability to function.
Personal philosophy is closely connected with fundamental theories because they address a nurse’s values, morals, and principles connecting with their motivations for choosing the profession (Suliman et al., 2022). It covers a nurse’s reflection on their knowledge and skills, performance, and ethical standards for care delivery. The limitation of a personal philosophy is that it only addresses one aspect of the integrative nature. Yet, every theory has been developed to provide patients with the most effective care possible in that particular area. A nursing philosophy helps you recognize the ideas and tenets that influence the daily decisions nurses make in the workplace.
In addition to the developing philosophical trends, nursing experiences the growth of new methods and approaches to analysis. Personal ideology, culture, social setting, power imbalances, and many perspectives required the creation of innovative methodologies that could reveal the essential features of personal experience (Sharma et al., 2022). The new approaches highlighted various areas of focus that were not addressed earlier, such as social and economic factors of the state and the healthcare system development, gender theories, or biased experiences. At the same time, core elements of motivation, dedication, values, strengths, and weaknesses remain relevant throughout the changing paradigm.
However, nurses can develop new aspects in their statements throughout their careers in the healthcare field. It is especially frequent regarding developing new skills and knowledge that may highlight other positive qualities discovered during professional activities. At the same time, the nurse can change the specialization within the profession, and the main priorities will be shifted according to the new patients’ peculiarities. This component correlates to the metaparadigm concept that evaluates the environment and surroundings as separate elements. Career objectives may develop as a philosophy does. Thus, frequently studying one’s philosophy might help nurses recognize a viewpoint from the past that might encourage them to form new aspirations and objectives for the future.
Professional practice frameworks are well adapted to allow nurses the conceptual, analytical, and practical philosophy shifts they need to meet patients’ primary care needs in a way that is based on their values. It has been suggested to employ a new model to assist solve fundamental problems with patient safety and care degradation in the United States (Meehan et al., 2018). Additionally, researchers discovered that nurses demonstrate their personal views in their work by upholding specific core values, particularly those that emphasize kindness, compassion, dignity, and respect, which are particularly important in providing primary care (Suliman et al., 2022). The perception of philosophy as a career guide actively evolves throughout the last decade. Considering the interconnections between statements and objectives of each nursing sphere, such an approach presents the most active feature of philosophical changes according to the personal interest in the profession.
Additionally, a nurse’s personal life can be a significant point of influence in the workplace. Motivation can change through inner aspects, such as developing skills and qualifications, external situations in a family circle, or environmental or socio-political changes. The element of competition if the professional field presents the material side of the philosophy. Theorists argue that given competing concepts, nursing professionals should not be encouraged to contend with one another but rather to work together and cooperatively so that the advancement of their knowledge serves a higher goal of the multidimensional evolution of the framework to which it belongs.
Therefore, some argue that for nursing to exist and develop in the twenty-first century, there needs to be a more significant commitment from working nurses to using and expanding their knowledge primarily related to nursing. The personal philosophy of nursing incorporates components of various nursing metaparadigm and theories. They work together with individual values, beliefs, and objectives to create the unique ideas of a professional.
References
Martinez, R. P., Mansaguiton, L. P., Mercado, M. A., & Panes, I. I. (2019). Philosophies of the mind and body: Descartes, ricouer and the metaparadigm of nursing. Journal of Research, 11(1). Web.
Meehan, T. C., Timmins, F., & Burke, J. (2018). Fundamental care guided by the careful nursing philosophy and professional practice model. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(11-12), 2260–2273. Web.
Sharma, A., Arpanantikul, M., & Asdornwised, U. (2022). Nursing knowledge development from the standpoint of philosophical and methodological perspective. International Journal of Nursing Education, 14(3). 1-6. Web.
Suliman, M., Sohail, M., Shaheen, M. & Rehman, U. U. (2022). A proposed philosophy of nursing in the light of nursing metatheory. Journal of Saidu Medical College, 12(2), 106-109. Web.