Term Paper on "Nursing Since Florence Nightingale's Selfless Service"

Term Paper 5 pages (1666 words) Sources: 3 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Nursing

Since Florence Nightingale's selfless service to those suffering in hospitals, nursing has been recognized as not only a profession, but also a calling. This is what nursing is for me. I have always felt that, more than other professions, nursing provides the professional with the opportunity to connect with other human beings on multiple levels. On the clinical level, nursing provides the opportunity for learning about the miracle that is the human body. On the non-physical level, the nurse has the opportunity to understand the client not only on the level of medical need, but also on the psychological and even spiritual level. These levels all work together in promoting the healing process. For this reason, I also believe that it is vitally important to develop an individually applicable nursing philosophy. Being highly personal to each nurse, this philosophy can help the nurse to provide optimal service to the client, as the professional will project the internal drivers for such a philosophy. In developing my own nursing theory, I have been particularly influenced by the work of theorists such as Jean Watson and Bonnie W. Duldt. By examining the philosophies behind the work of these three theorists, I was able to isolate the most important elements of nursing as attitude, communication and caring.

Definition

In defining nursing, as mentioned above, the most important elements of the profession include attitude, communication and caring. It is vitally important for the nurse to display a caring attitude, as the professional is faced with a problem on multiple levels. The primary level is the physical: the client's most predominant and most obvious need is physical, which is why the patient is in the hospital. This is however only the surface of the problem. The way in which the client experiences the problem on a psychological, emotional and spiritual level is vitally important to the healing process. In this way, the attitude of the nurse needs to be open, honest and accepting, as well as profoundly patient. The nurse should be willing to listen to any complaints that the patient has about his or her condition, and the care for this condition.

Communication is deeply integrated with an attitude of acceptance and patience. The nurse needs to be able listen on a deeper level than just the conversation of the client. Such conversation provides vital clues to the inner experiences of the client, and should be evaluated to determine the best treatment for the fastest healing process. Communication is a process specifically addressed by Bonnie Duldt (1985), who holds that communication is the basis of helping the patient "feel human." For Duldt, the feeling of humanity lies at the basis of the healing process. It is the purpose of the nurse to promote this feeling in clients in order to help them with the healing process.

In terms of caring the paradigms of attitude and communication integrate to result in an overall effect of caring. Caring translates to the non-physical aspects of nursing that help the healing process. Jean Watson (2006) has devised a theory of caring that is based upon the interaction of human beings with each other. For Watson, everything is interrelated, including not only human beings, but also the environment and the earth in an ultimately holistic sense. In this, the paradigm of caring is based upon the interaction between the nurse, the client, family members and friends of the client, as well as the environment and how these interact for the optimal well-being and healing of the client. This integration of the environment and its effect upon human health is a theory addressed by Duldt.

In defining my own concept of nursing then, I would summarize by asserting that nursing for me is a calling that expects me to be able not only to determine and care for the physical problems of the client, but also for the non-physical such as the emotional and psychological experience of the condition. I will do this by considering the client in a holistic sense, while also taking into account environmental and social factors. Nursing is an integrated profession of caring and ultimate healing through acceptance, caring, and communication.

Purpose

In considering the purpose of nursing, I will address the issue from my own point-of-view first. I have not so much chosen the profession as it has chosen me. My purpose with the profession therefore closely integrates with my nursing philosophy. My aim is to be an instrument of healing by helping clients help themselves. Through careful listening, I will determine the individualistic paradigms that are important to the client, and utilize these to help the healing process. According to Duldt, for example, human beings are not only a collective consciousness with needs that with essentially the same needs and feelings, but also highly individualistic in terms of environmental and social effects during their lives. These individual factors are more important than the collective ones in determining the best course of action for optimal healing.

It is therefore the purpose of the nurse to identify these factors and use them optimally for the healing process. Being a nurse, I feel that it is important to be a catalyst for healing, rather than trying to force my own paradigms upon an unwilling client. Instead, I'd rather attempt to work with the client's own views and purposes, even if I do not necessarily agree with these. In this, my purpose is to gently lead rather than to aggressively treat. As far as possible, it is therefore my philosophy that a client should be allowed to dictate the majority of his or her healing process. Of course this is not applicable to all situations, but I have found that such an attitude works best for the majority of cases.

I am a nurse because I find it profoundly fulfilling to help people heal themselves. I love to connect with each client in investigating the causes, needs, and possible cures for his or her ailment. It is both profoundly humbling and a source of great pride for me.

Assumptions

My assumptions relate to the integration of various factors in each client's life. These factors may include, to a greater or lesser extent, the physical environment, the social environment, the inner psyche of the client, as well as the physical body. Everything that human beings experience in the world is experienced via the physical body. When the physical body becomes unwell, it is logical to assume that, while the experiences in the world of the client did not necessarily cause the illness, these interactions might indeed hinder the healing process.

Negative attitudes from a client's friends for example may be communicated to the body as an obstacle to healing. I also believe that a client's attitude in itself may either aid or hinder the healing process. A negative attitude could be exacerbated by environmental factors.

Like Watson and Duldt, I also believe that the client should be seen in a holistic manner and treated with consideration of possibly negative or potentially environmental, social, or interpersonal factors. In investigating the optimal healing process, the nurse should then be a catalyst for increasing the positive factors and diminishing the negative.

Principles

The most important principle of nursing is to do no harm. This is the most basic principle of all healthcare professions. However, situations could arise where harm is unavoidable, or where in attempting to respect a client's rights, autonomy, or privileges may cause severe harm to others. In such a case, I believe it is best to consider the interaction of all human beings and the environment. In situations of this nature, I would act upon my assumption of integration and take actions that would cause the least harm not only to the client, but also to those whose lives… READ MORE

How to Reference "Nursing Since Florence Nightingale's Selfless Service" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Florence Nightingale's Philosophy of Nursing Essay

Florence Nightingale's Philosophy Of Nursing

Florence Nightingale was born in May 12, 1820 to a wealthy family in Great Britain. She grew up being part of the upper class and… read more

Essay 4 pages (1095 words) Sources: 4 Style: APA Topic: Nursing / Doctor / Physician

---

Florence Nightingale's Notes on Nursing Term Paper

Florence Nightingale's Notes On Nursing

Florence Nightingale begins with her beliefs: that disease is the reparative process of Nature (p. 8). Disease is the natural processes of a human being… read more

Term Paper 3 pages (1139 words) Sources: 1 Style: APA Topic: Nursing / Doctor / Physician

---

Florence Nightingale's Theory Thesis

Florence Nightingale

The Life and Theories of Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale's theories formed the basis of modern hospital administration and nursing practice. Born into a wealthy, upper class family, she… read more

Thesis 25 pages (7712 words) Sources: 10 Style: APA Topic: Nursing / Doctor / Physician

---

Nursing When Florence Nightingale Noted That Nurses Essay

Nursing

When Florence Nightingale noted that nurses, not doctors, should teach nursing she emphasized the uniqueness of the profession. Nursing is not a watered-down version of doctoring. Nor is nursing… read more

Essay 1 pages (331 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Nursing / Doctor / Physician

---

Florence Nightingale and Her Affect on Modern Day Nursing Essay

Florence Nightingale and Her Affect on Modern Day Nursing

Florence Nightingale has been remembered by Western posterity in a variety of ways. From the chaste Lady with a Lamp to… read more

Essay 3 pages (693 words) Sources: 7 Topic: Nursing / Doctor / Physician

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>