Developing a Philosophy of Nursing

Becoming a nurse is a valiant career choice. It is one that takes quite a bit of time and effort, and continual education. But there are many philosophies of nursing that can be applied and as a nurse you will need to pick a philosophy that works best for you. Some nurses choose to do what is best for the patient at all times, even if that means bending some hospital policies or going against the grain. Other nurses opt to follow all hospital and administrative rules to a tee even if this means letting the patient suffer. Some nurses still will choose based on the moment what feels right instinctively.

As a nurse you may opt to parent your patients, in a sense. As a nurse you may look out for them at all costs, above all else. The patient becomes the most important thing in this philosophy. And when you are at work, your choices and actions hang on what is best for the patient even if that means you are forced to fudge some paperwork or hold off on writing a prescription. You might ignore certain rules on your own and risk your career if it helps the patient.

Other nurses choose a philosophy that is quite the opposite. They work hard for their job and in order to keep it, they will not risk anything. This philosophy does not put the patient first, but instead puts the rules and regulations first. This might cause the patient to suffer in the form of not getting the treatment that they need, not getting the right prescription, or not being given the type of additional recovery care after a surgery.

Then there are the nurses who trust their instinct regarding what is the best treatment. While not allowed to administer certain drugs or make certain medical calls, they might do everything they can to ensure that call is made anyway or they might opt to ignore a patient that they feel may be scamming for drugs.

When you become a nurse it is up to you to decide on a philosophy that suits you and stick to it. You should use your personal morals and principles as a guiding factor in deciding what philosophy works best. Once you choose, you can apply the best care to those you look after for the duration of your career.