NURS 481 Role Transition

Purpose of Assignment: The purpose of this assignment is to enable the student to rediscover his or her personal philosophy of nursing as it exists upon the completion of the baccalaureate nursing program.

Student Approach to Assignment:

At the beginning of my nursing education, my philosophy of nursing was narrow in scope and ill-defined. For this assignment, I reviewed my original nursing philosophy and reflected on how and why it changed. I focused on what my core values are as a person and synthesized that with what I have learned on my nursing journey to create a nursing definition and philosophy that can guide me as I practice my new profession and truly resonates with me as an individual.

Reason for Inclusion of the Assignment in the Portfolio

I included this assignment in my portfolio because it reflects the principles that will guide me as I begin my journey as a registered nurse. This assignment provides insight into my beliefs that will influence my decisions as a nurse and accurately reflects the importance I place on patients as unique individuals needing holistic, patient-centered care.

Outcome 1

Identify concepts derived from theories from nursing and other disciplines, which distinguish the practice of nursing.

I used Martha Rogers' Science of Unitary Human Beings and Rosemarie Rizzo Parse's Human Becoming Theory to establish a unique definition of nursing that differentiates nursing from other disciplines. An example of this is when I used this with a patient who had been undergoing inpatient chemotherapy for cancer. She expressed that she had been feeling increasingly isolated due to her inpatient status and the side effects of chemotherapy. Martha Rogers's Science of Unitary Human Beings allowed me to understand that this patient's condition is not just physical but also involves her interactions with her environment. Understanding this allowed us to implement interventions such as facilitating video calls to address these concerns,

Outcome 3

Articulates an understanding of how human behavior is affected by culture, race, religion, gender, lifestyle, and age.

I addressed cultural influences on human behavior, emphasizing the importance of cultural competence in nursing practice, directly referencing Madeleine Leininger's Cultural Care Diversity and Universality theory. Holistic care is based on the idea that individuals are unique, with different goals and desires shaped by many influences. As nurses, we must not project our thoughts, feelings, and emotions onto patients. Understanding how those influences affect our patients allows us to meet them on their terms, thus providing some measure of comfort. For instance, in some cultures, it is customary for husbands to speak for and make decisions for their wives. Knowing this allows us to respect that social norm when it is encountered and helps gain the trust of our patients.