Ismail’s Nursing Philosophy
Ismail Abdullah
Long Island University
November 14, 2018
Abstract
A nurse is one of the most important jobs within the healthcare profession. Nurses with skills such as confidence, critical thinking, ethics and communication are key skills that allow the best care to be given to the patient. Nursing carries a huge role in society and has made huge strides in terms of how the profession is viewed.Qualities that can drive one to enter nursing personally is compassion and empathy.
Keywords: nursing, qualities, skills, patient,
Ismail Abdullah
Nursing 100
Nicole Caligure
November 14, 2018
Nursing Philosophy
What is nursing? Nursing does not have a definite meaning. However, nursing can be defined differently depending on who you ask. In my opinion nursing is being selfless while being a caregiver. Nurses are people who should always put someone else’s needs above their own. Being a nurse means that patients who are in your care must be able to trust you. It means treating your patients with kindness, respect and compassion. However, not everyone has the same philosophy of nursing. Although nursing may have many different philosophies, that does not mean any are incorrect.
The field of nursing is commonly known for being the backbone behind the medical field. Nursing dates back to 300 A.D. in the Roman Empire. Their role was to assist in patient medical care alongside doctors (nursing school hub.com). This carried through to present day. “Nursing can be described as both an art and a science; a heart and a mind”(nursing world.org). Within the profession, there are various responsibilities but one thing is undeniable, nothing beats the caring touch a nurse provides.
Growing up, I’ve always had respect for the nursing field. My inspiration comes from my mother, and traces up the latter with all the women in my family. Seeing my mother spend long shifts and working overtime, for her to come home and still have love and care to give my sister and I, was just beyond admirable. Her ability to think fast in any situation regarding our health physically and mentally gave me so much respect for what she does. Growing up, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. I knew my parents wanted me to enter the medical field but I never had much exposure to decide my future. It wasn’t until that one experience that not only changed my life but gave me a future.
Within the healthcare profession, nurses are engaged in their practice. There are men and women who are responsible for the safety, recovery and treatment of their patients. A lot of their patients tend to be those who are acutely or chronically ill or injured. This doesn’t disclude the care for patients who also just want to maintain their health. They can be involved in research and also perform a variety of non-clinical functions in order to delivery that particular aspect of health care. I know that once I get started, I will focus all my energy on giving my patients the best care I can give them.
Over the summer I volunteered at Northwell Hospital in Valley Stream. I had to see if the environment was meant for me and I also wanted to give back to the community. They put me in section 2C where all the action takes place. To get the hang of the place, I was made the secretary’s assistance. As her assistant, I answered phone calls, filed paperwork and did hourly rounds on the patients to make sure they were taken care of. Meeting all the patients and their families really helped solidify my decision on becoming a nurse. Human beings are so complex within their simplest forms. We all have basic needs but they all come attached with these unique situations. What really changed my perspective was this one encounter I had. I was sitting at the desk filing paperwork when I heard my name called. I looked up and the lady repeated my name and gave me a look that read that she expected something. She asked if I remembered her and I looked at her visitors name tag. My heart dropped. I did remember her. She was the school nurse at my elementary school. She was also the woman who called social services on my parents at the time. The situation panned out fine, I was never abused but it was a matter of misinterpretation between abuse and being disciplined. Long story short, I never thought I would ever see her again. We caught up with each others lives, but never mentioned the incident. Then she went off to visit the patient she came for. During our conversation she asked me what I planned to do with my education. I never felt so proud to tell her that I am enrolled at the LIU Post Nursing Program. I didn’t have any animosity or negative feelings against her. I just felt like I had come a long way from back then. When I went to do my rounds, I entered my last room and there she was, sitting next to a very sickly patient. I looked at my list and saw her diagnosis. Ofcourse I can’t disclose what she had but in that moment I had experienced pure empathy. After I left the room, I tried to make sense of the whole situation. Here I was, face to face with someone who impacted my life in such a negative way but I had nothing but love for her and her mother.
My personal experience foreshadowed how I would treat any patient I encounter in the future and in life in general. I always go by the saying “treat others the way you want to be treated”. I always put others first, its just natural for me. I grew up that way, and I know I that quality in me will never change. In the field of nursing I know that this quality will elevate my performance and benefit the community from the patients to the my fellow future coworkers.
Nurses develop many great skills that allow them to thrive in the nursing profession. Communication plays such an important part in the field of nursing. Being able to understand the patients needs will help the nurse assist them in the most effective way possible. When you build trust with the patient, they are more inclined to open up on what they have experienced symptom wise or about any necessary information. Nurses also act as a patient’s advocate. This means that they are the link between the workers at the hospital and their loved ones. They carry the ability to represent the patient. Things like mistakes, and miscommunication can easily be avoided when the effort to communicate is developed.
Ethics is a big skill a nurse should have. The judgment of a nurse is crucial when dealing with patients. There are so many cases where nurses have to use their hearts when treating their patients. I feel like the idea of treating a patient the same way I would want my loved one treat helps me give my all. I could never have the heart to give anything less than my all when taking care of a human being especially when they are in pain.
Another skill would be critical thinking. Sometimes a nurse will be presented with a situation where they need to come up with a solution on their own or on the spot. Their attention to detail will come in handy when figure out how to solve a case they are involved in. Confidence is a huge key factor. If you act confident, others will feed off of that. To portray confidence will allow loved ones to feel safe, as well as the patient. This tends to allow trust to be built. Confidence in the workplace will generally lift up your surroundings and it very important to show that you are sure in all the decisions you make because at the end of the day, someone’s life is under your care.
Being a great nurse means a great deal to me. Society has a stereotypical view on nurses. Nurses should be women because women are naturally caring. Men can’t show any emotions or sensitivity because it’s not viewed as masculine. Well I am here, on my way, adding myself to the list of men who are defying the stereotype. To be a great nurse shouldn’t be confined mentally to a gender. I know that I carry the traits of being a great nurse and my education will refine and further my abilities. Great nurses not only do their job but I believe they chose to go above and beyond what their job description has listed. They don’t just automatically stop what their doing once their shift ends. A nurse who really cares about their patients will make sure everything is taken care of or at least they would make sure that the nurse taking over for the next shift is all set. The nurse would not only take care of his or her patient medically but also emotionally. I believe great nurses create connections with their patients and coworkers. The connection aspect is very crucial.
Creating trust between your patients and their families really elevates the environment on both ends. Being that I had volunteered at a hospital, I know how down it can feel when the people around you are down. For families it can be difficult seeing their loved one be in pain or sickness. It’s not hard to distinguish the nurses that are just going with the workflow from the nurses who genuinely want to be there and just try to make the experience to the patient less dreadful because in all reality, nobody wants to be admitted to a hospital. A nurse who exemplifies control in a situation can lighten and put the patient and/or their loved ones at ease.
We can’t forget the importance behind creating connections between coworkers. Nurses can either work in teams or individually but never alone. As a staff, to have each others backs to an extent can build the environment. When one nurse is down, sometimes another nurse should step in to brighten their mood because how you come off to the patient will affect the patient. I remember witnessing a nurse give attitude to her patient’s family due to a minor disagreement. I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed for her because she lacked compassion in that moment. Distress is what the family was feeling and the nurse seemed to have forgotten her environment. A fellow nurse pulled her aside for a private talk. When they came back, the nurse with the attitude completely changed her demeanor. She apologized to the family and went the extra mile to assist the patient to prove that she was genuinely sorry. I don’t know what the two nurses had discussed but I do know that they must have had a level of trust for that one nurse to have taken her advice and apply it so well. When your in an environment that can exude high levels of stress, it can be tough but your never alone.
There are so many aspects to nursing but only one this is for sure, nurses contribute a great deal to society. Nothing will take the place a nurse’s role. Their role in society will always be appreciated. I know that when the time comes for me to enter the field, I will give my all to all my responsibilities. Life is too short to live anything less than what I am capable of giving. Therefore, I will give my all to life itself.
References
Nursing Role in Society Essay – 393 Words. (n.d.). Retrieved November/December, 2018, from https://www.studymode.com/essays/Nursing-Role-In-Society-939968.html
Importance of Nurses – Healthcare Community Nurses. (n.d.). Retrieved November/December, 2018, from https://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/192057/nursing/importance_of_nurses___healthcare_community_nurses.html
Nursing School Hub. (n.d.). Retrieved November/December, 2018, from https://www.nursingschoolhub.com/
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