Introduction
Nursing should be pursued as both a science and an art. Practitioners should acquire evidence-based ideas and use them to develop desirable care delivery models. Effective nursing philosophies can empower and guide nurses to offer high-quality care to their patients. Such models must be improved continuously depending on the changing needs of different patients. The practice can deliver desirable nursing philosophies that can be utilized to address patients’ needs.
This discussion begins by presenting a summary of my nursing autobiography. The next part describes the major attributes of my nursing philosophy. These include the four meta paradigms of nursing, practice-specific concepts, and propositions.
Nursing Autobiography
Nursing is a profession characterized by specific values such as compassion, love, and concern for human welfare. I always consider this understanding whenever pursuing my aims as a nurse practitioner. The desire to help those in need encouraged me to focus on a career in nursing. This means that my childhood objective was to become a healthcare practitioner. In my hometown of Matanzas in Cuba, I observed that many people required adequate health information, medical care, and preventative education. However, most of these services were unavailable in the community.
After moving to the United States, I was keen to provide various services in healthcare settings. For instance, I assisted a number of physicians in their units. I pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Sacred Heart University in Puerto Rico. The nursing program equipped me with adequate dexterities in medical practice. I assisted in medical exams, evaluated patient knowledge, provided education, and administered vaccines.
I have managed to provide satisfactory care to different patients in various healthcare units. I have also interacted with professionals who have equipped me with sufficient competencies. I understand clearly that every patient needs empathy and compassion in order to lead a better life. I strongly believe that the profession is not monotonous. My contributions to nursing include the ability to bring hope and passion to my patients and the desire to transform their attitudes in life. I am planning to complete another nursing program in an attempt to become a skilled family nurse practitioner. This new achievement will empower me to continue providing safe and high-quality care to patients with chronic illnesses. The practice will ensure every patient has access to quality medical care.
The Four Metaparadigms of Nursing
The four meta paradigms of nursing are adopted by caregivers to develop superior models or personal philosophies. Dauvrin and Lorant (2015) indicate that a metaparadigm is a set of concepts that describe how a given field or discipline should function. Nursing is a discipline that is guided by four meta paradigms that must be taken seriously by practitioners. I have followed the four concepts to develop a superior philosophy that can guide me to offer better health services.
Person
My personal philosophy of nursing has a simple definition of the metaparadigm of a person. My model uses the concept to refer to friends, communities, families, and patients. With this kind of definition, it becomes easier for nurses to develop personalized care delivery strategies for their patients (Adams, 2016). Since people tend to have diverse health needs or expectations, I embrace the power of multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-quality patient support. The strategy guides me to attract health experts such as caregivers, nurse aides, psychologists, physicians, and behavioral therapists.
Health
Health is the second concept implemented in my philosophy. This metaparadigm is guided by different theories in nursing (Bruce, Rietze, & Lim, 2014). For instance, I use the transcultural nursing theory whenever delivering culturally competent healthcare to different patients or communities. This means that my philosophy treats health as the medical status of a patient or person. Various aspects such as spiritual wellbeing, emotional needs, genetic factors, and the existence of chronic conditions are examined carefully using the metaparadigm. These notions make it easier for me to address and re-pattern the health experiences of my patients.
Environment
The environment metaparadigm refers to every aspect that influences the health outcomes of patients. My philosophy goes further to consider issues such as geographic conditions, climatic patterns, and cultural practices. Personal attributes such as health behaviors and relationships can be identified using this concept (Bruce et al., 2014). Every environmental factor or attribute is analyzed in order to understand the unique challenges that are affecting my patients. Every practice-specific concept associated with my nursing philosophy is based on the environmental aspects that affect a person’s health outcomes.
Nursing
The fourth concept is that of nursing (Dauvrin & Lorant, 2015). This metaparadigm forms the backbone of my philosophy. As a practitioner, I focus on theoretical foundations to deliver quality care and support to patients with diverse needs. My nursing process is usually informed by medical knowledge, technical skills, empathy, and compassion. I embrace the power of teamwork to collaborate with others and deliver desirable care in a timely manner. My nursing philosophy is updated periodically by acquiring new notions and concepts that can maximize the health outcomes of every patient. My goal is to become a skilled nurse whose obligation is to ensure high-quality care is available to underserved communities and patients.
Two Practice-Specific Concepts
My nursing practice is informed by a number of concepts and ideas that can result in adequate care delivery. Adams (2016) acknowledges that practice-specific concepts are critical since they dictate the manner in which practitioners meet the diverse health needs of their patients. This understanding has encouraged me to consider various perceptions that can make me a skilled provider of quality medical support. The two major concepts that are specific to my practice include cultural competence and multidisciplinary teams.
Cultural Competence
Nurses are prepared to deliver exemplary services to patients from diverse backgrounds. Transcultural theory of nursing asserts that communities are characterized by patients whose health needs differ significantly. The differences might be influenced by aspects such as patients’ cultural backgrounds and practices. Evidence supports the use of the theory to develop appropriate care models (Adams, 2016). The health promotion model has been studied widely to understand how the diverse needs of different populations can be addressed. I have integrated these concepts into my practice and philosophy. Consequently, I have created a model that guides me to offer culturally competent care.
Cultural competence is a concept that has been supported by many scholars, analysts, and theorists in nursing (Mosqueda-Diaz, Vilchez-Barboza, Valenzuela-Suazo, & Sanhueza-Alvarado, 2014). For instance, skill acquisition is a theory that encourages caregivers to consider new ideas and conceptions that can be used to improve care delivery. I have considered these aspects in order to make cultural competence one of the notions supporting my nursing philosophy.
Several observations have made it easier for me to embrace this concept. I have been providing medical care to many patients from diverse backgrounds. Such individuals tend to have specific needs that differ from those of their counterparts (Bruce et al., 2014).
My academic background has also equipped me with adequate skills that can be applied to learn more about communities’ social norms, cultural practices, and religious beliefs. In my practice setting, I have been keen to embrace these observations and dexterities to develop appropriate care delivery approaches that can maximize the health outcomes of patients from different cultural backgrounds. This achievement explains why the concept of cultural competence continues to make my philosophy effective.
Mosqueda-Diaz et al. (2014) indicate that practitioners should be aware of the expectations of patients whose values and cultural practices differ significantly. Nurses must exhibit spectacular attributes such as effective communication, respect, and admiration of cultural differences (Dauvrin & Lorant, 2015). When such issues are taken seriously, practitioners can be in a position to address the challenges affecting their communities or patients. Continuous learning is embraced in an attempt to acquire new competencies that can guide me whenever providing care to patients from various racial backgrounds.
The use of this practice-specific concept has empowered me to offer high-quality medical support in my workplace. The concept is combined with the four meta paradigms to develop an advanced model that can transform the experiences of every patient (Mosqueda-Diaz et al., 2014). I am keen to acquire new ideas in an attempt to practice in a wide range of settings. The strategy also guides me to improve my nursing philosophy.
Multidisciplinary Teams
The second practice-specific concept that is unique to my professional practice is the use of multidisciplinary teams. There are various theories that have been presented to support the relevance of this concept. For instance, nursing has always been studied as an art (Mosqueda-Diaz et al., 2014). This understanding encourages practitioners to consider the nature and requirements of the targeted patients.
The next thing is to design appropriate models that can meet such needs. Researchers in health practice believe strongly that evidence-based approaches are critical whenever focusing on the health positions of different patients. The complexity of health has empowered medical professionals to design adequate strategies to ensure every patient leads a quality life. This knowledge has catalyzed the idea of multidisciplinary teams.
Role theory is a model that guides individuals to pursue specific responsibilities in accordance with their positions (Adams, 2016). The theoretical framework has gained much attention in the field of healthcare. With many practitioners and health professionals working hard to support different patients, the theory is borrowed to ensure holistic care is available to every patient (Dauvrin & Lorant, 2015). This kind of medical support seeks to address the emotional, physical, psychological, spiritual, and mental needs of more patients. This theory is borrowed from literature and guides me to embrace the idea of multidisciplinary teams.
Change theory is another concept that makes it easier for me to bring on board professionals such as caregivers, physicians, and behavioral therapists. The move results in a competent team that can deliver desirable care to the patient (Dauvrin & Lorant, 2015). The approach is also considered whenever promoting the idea of teamwork in my unit. Different nurses and caregivers are guided to create teams that can deliver exemplary services. The practice explains why many patients receive appropriate care.
The involvement of different family members throughout the care delivery process is an evidence-based practice that maximizes the effectiveness of practice. These individuals present insights that can be utilized to transform the experiences of the targeted patient (Dauvrin & Lorant, 2015). These achievements explain why the practice-specific concept continues to support my philosophy as a practitioner.
List of Propositions
Nurse practitioners develop appropriate propositions and utilize them to make desirable care delivery decisions (Adams, 2016). When merged with personal philosophies, nursing propositions can guide caregivers to meet the health demands of patients from diverse backgrounds. I have considered the above two practice-specific concepts to create five propositions. Such assumptions support my nursing philosophy and empower me to deliver commendable services to every patient. Such propositions make it easier for me to use multidisciplinary teams to deliver culturally competent care to my patients. These propositions include:
- Practice should be guided by the four meta paradigms of nursing in order to deliver holistic care.
- Nursing is an ever-changing field that must be informed by knowledge and new research evidence.
- Nursing should focus on issues such as diversity, increase in chronic diseases, and emerging technology.
- Nurses should engage in lifelong learning to advance their philosophies and eventually meet the changing needs of patients from diverse backgrounds.
- Nurses should focus on evidence-based concepts and notions in order to be able to practice in a wide range of healthcare settings.
Conclusion
My nursing philosophy empowers me to monitor the needs of my patients and deliver commendable services. The model is guided by the meta paradigms of health, person, nursing, and environment. Concepts such as multidisciplinary teams, lifelong learning, cultural competence, and leadership guide me to achieve my aims. I will work to improve my philosophy and transform the health outcomes of my patients.
References
Adams, L. Y. (2016). The conundrum of caring in nursing. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 9(1), 1-8. Web.
Bruce, A., Rietze, L., & Lim, A. (2014). Understanding philosophy in a nurse’s world: What, where and why? Nursing and Health, 2(3), 65-71. Web.
Dauvrin, M., & Lorant, V. (2015). Leadership and cultural competence of healthcare professionals: A social network analysis. Nursing Research, 64(3), 200-210. Web.
Mosqueda-Diaz, A., Vilchez-Barboza, V., Valenzuela-Suazo, S., & Sanhueza-Alvarado, O. (2014). Critical theory and its contribution to the nursing discipline. Invest Educ Enferm, 32(2), 356-363. Web.