Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive analysis of a personal philosophy of nursing profession.It examines personal values and beliefs about the established metaparadigms and metatheories of nursing practice. In addition, it provides an identification and articulation of the concepts that are relevant to the registered nursing practice, focusing on specialization in peritoneal dialysis. Moreover, it provides a list of assumptions and personal nursing practice to illustrate the concepts and framework of the personal nursing theory. Specifically, the paper illustrates a personal nursing autobiography in the first section. Secondly, it provides an in-depth analysis of four metaparadigns in nursing through an identification, discussion and documentation from the relevant literature, with special reference to the concepts of the nurse, the patient, the environment as well as the health concept. Finally, it examines two practice-specific concepts in nursing, borrowing from the existing and relevant literature.
Personal Nursing Autobiography
Throughout my life, I have always wished to work as a nurse to serve my community through improvement of the general health status. That is why I decided to take a career in nursing. I graduated as a Licensed Practical Nurse in 2009. While still taking my LPN, I worked as a technician in a pharmacy. Once I graduated with the LPN, I was posted in a hemodialysis sector within a chronic dialysis setting, where I worked as a LPN. My interest was to advance my education and skills to enhance my performance and job category. Therefore, I started taking classes for registered nursing. I earned an associate degree in nursing in 2010. Once I became a registered nurse, I decided to continue working in the chronic dialysis sector. Here, I was dealing with patients of renal disease, especially those in their end stages of the condition. In 2012, I decided to advance my career and skills in nursing. Thus, I took additional classes and earned my BSN. I wanted to become a full Nurse Practitioner NP. Currently, I am specializing in Family Nurse Practitioner program (FNP). I chose this path in nursing to focus mainly on the primary care for the family and the community in general, hoping to ensure that I play an important role in enhancing and promoting the health status of my community. I am currently working as a peritoneal dialysis nurse. This is one of the dialysis modalities for patients with end stage renal disease. Therefore, my nursing philosophy is based on this part of the nursing practice.
The four metaparadigms of nursing
According to Meleis (2007), a theory is an organized, systematic and comprehensible expression of set of statements that relate to certain significant questions within a given discipline, where they are communicated to give meaning. According to Eckberg and Hill (2009), a metaparadigm acts as an encapsulating framework or unit in which the structures of a theory or concept are developed. Thus, metaparadigms are the universal perspectives of every discipline. According to Eckberg and Hill (2009), the central concepts of the metaparadigm of nursing practice are person/patient, health, the environment and nursing practice. According to Fawcett (2004), the patient/person receives nursing servicesfrom the nurse or the nursing practice within an environment that he or she exists. In addition, the person/patient falls with a health-illness continuum at the time of interaction with the environment and seeks nursing services through an interaction with the nurse and nursing actions.
The person
The term “person” is hereby used to mean the individual, family or the community that is receiving the nursing care of the nature defined above.
Providing nursing services to the patients of peritoneal problems is an important aspect of modern nursing. Patients of peritoneal disease require a close attention because the procedure is done frequently, especially in the later stages of the problem. In most cases, these patients are aware that they do not have a chance to regain their normal health, but it is the role of the nurse to ensure that they remain comfortable and confident about their future.
Environment
The environment is viewed as the setting or context of human experience. It includes variations in quality, space and time. The geography includes personal, social, national as well as global aspects of life. It also includes the social beliefs, custom, values as well as expectations of a given society. In my nursing field, a number of social aspects and beliefs about kidney diseases characterize the environment. It is worth noting that there is a common social belief that kidney patients are on their way towards death. The community expects the nurses to ensure that the patients regain their health, yet they are sure that the likelihood of recovery is minimal. It is the role of the peritoneal nurses to ensure that the environment within which the patient encounters the nurses, the healthcare services and the general medical team. The society expects the health environment to be friendly and provide a solution to the peritoneal problems affecting the patients.
Health
The paradigm of health is the holistic level of the wellness of an individual’s experience. As highly dynamic synthesis of the wellness as well as illness, it is also defined by the patient’s perceptionacross lifespan. It is a view that focuses on the entire nature of the patient in terms of physical, moral, social as well as aesthetic realms.
In my nursing career, the paradigm of health is defined by the peritoneal condition. Most of the patients seek dialysis services once every week. When visiting the department, the patient’s condition requires immediate attention. Their wellbeing is characterized by poor kidney condition, which means that their kidneys cannot function normally. It is the role of the nurses to provide an alternative means of removing urine from the patient’s body in order to restore the client’s health.
Nursing Practice: Nursing is both an academic discipline and a profession. In an academic perspective, nursing is an art and science of providing holistic healthcare, which is under the guidance of values of human responsibility, choices and freedom. It is a body of knowledge developed through development of theories, research as well as logical approach to the problems facing human health.
In my nursing profession, practice is an important aspect of providing supportive services to the peritoneal patients. We normally apply evidence-based knowledge as well as experience in providing healthcare services. It is our role to ensure that the patients are treated according to the updated knowledge and evidence in the field.
Practice-specific concepts
Ernestine Wiedenbach developed an important concept of nursing, which argues that nursing is a helping art in clinical care(Conway, 2005). The concept asserts that nursing is a process that meets the needs of a clinical setting through the art of individualization of healthcare. Thus, it is our role as nurses in the peritoneal care sector to identify the needs of our patients through a number of approaches such as observation, understanding patient behavior, identification of the cause of patient discomfort as well as determination of the clients’ ability to resolve the problems associated with peritoneal diseases.
Virginia Henderson’sconcept of care in nursing states that patients require help towards achievement of individual independence. In my nursing practice, it is the role of the nurses to ensure that patient choices are respected and the best information provided to them to ensure that their independence is respected.
Propositions and nursing theories applicable in peritoneal nursing
Nightingale’s environmental theory is an important aspect of nursing in my career and practice. This is a crucial philosophy includes the four metaparadigms defined above(Conway, 2005). It emphasizes on the need to provide a good environment for clinical care, which should accompany the clinical intervention. For instance, at the peritoneal dialysis sector, we are supposed to provide ventilation and warmth to provide comfort to our patients. The rooms should be clean and disinfected to avoid hospital-derived infections. This includes the rooms, equipment, patient bodies as well as the beddings.
The concept of culture
Transcultural nursing implies to our way of professional interaction with the concept of culture. It is focuses on global cultures, which requires us to develop and apply knowledge while handling patients from different backgrounds (Conway, 2005).
Change theory
In nursing, applying change theory ensures that we apply the most recent or updated knowledge from empirical research to improve the outcomes.
Role theory
It is the role of the nurses to develop a good environment for clinical care and improve the patient comfort while attending dialysis services. The nurses are the intermediary between the patient and the clinical team.
References
Conway, M. E. (2005). Toward greater specificity in defining nursing’s metaparadigm. Advances in Nursing Science, 7(4), 73-82.
Eckberg, D. L., & Hill, L. (2009). The paradigm concept and sociology: A critical review.American sociological review, 24(2), 925-937.
Fawcett, J. (2004). The metaparadigm of nursing: present status and future refinements. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 16(3), 77-87.
Meleis, I. A. (2007).Theoretical Nursing: Development & Progress. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott.