Essay about Philosophy of Nursing

Person/ Family
Person is the recipient of nursing care, the main center focus of the nursing practice. Person is all the aspects that create an individual from their family structure and their role in that structure to their life knowledge and their beliefs in all the aspects of their world. Person is not only how someone lives, its how they adapt and adjust to changes in their life, their self concept and their view and interpretation of the world around them. Person is individualized and unique to the individual. It is my belief that defining person is the first step that nurses should implement when deciding the individualized and patient specified care of a patient. Person defines what is real and to the client and how they see themselves and the world.
Health

Health is ultimate blending of person and environment. It is the result of who you are and how your environment adjusts to your Person. There are all stages of health and even in a dying patient or chronically ill patient there are various stages of health. Health is not necessarily the absence of illness, but it is the potential wellness of and individual. The definition of health for an 18 year old disease free client is not the same as the definition of an 80 year old chronically ill patient. Health is the optimal potential of a client to be the best they can be for the person and condition that they are in. I believe that health can also be determined by an individual and their particular needs as a person and their application to their role in society.
Environment
Environment is everything around a person that affects who they are and how they react to situations and changes. Environment defines the potential for change and is sometimes the sole factor in determining the potential of an individual and their health. If a person has a great support system, a positive self perception and is in good health they still can become a victim to their environment.
An example would be an elderly person who has been independent their whole life, but has to go into a nursing home due to their decreased mobility related to osteoarthritis. If they are not place in a correct nursing facility then the patient is not going to be in a environment that promotes and accepts their independence and special situation. The definition of Person could be missed in a situation like this and the patient could be placed in an environment that doesn’t promote what is healthy and acceptable to that person. It is my belief that Environment is the blending of person and health and all of the internal and external factors that affect a patient and their overall concept of these factors.
Nursing
The central reason for the existence of nursing is to help those who are in need. Weather that need be physical, emotional or medical is irrelevant; the need of the individual in nursing is determined by the patient and their unique situation. The recipient of nursing care is all people whom are influenced by the nursing process. The ultimate goal of professional nursing care is to promote specialized, patient specific care that is outcome based and measurable in terms of client benefits that promote health and well being at various stages of illness and wellness.
The practice of nursing is very different from other health care professionals because nursing looks at the whole person, their environment and their individual needs as a specialized living system. Nursing is patient focused not condition focused. It is my belief that the nursing process promotes greater health and healing of the individual and the family with interventions and a holistic approach that is client/family specific to their unique situation and value system.