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As the healthcare industry increasingly shifts towards holistic care, there is a growing need for nursing practitioners and educators to appreciate the metaparadigm within which their profession operates. The nursing metaparadigm attempts to compile or organize the principles and philosophical framework within which a nurse should operate.

22 JAN, 2022

NUR 2811L QEP Assignment: Nursing Philosophy: Get Reliable Nursing Classes Help

As the healthcare industry increasingly shifts towards holistic care, there is a growing need for nursing practitioners and educators to appreciate the metaparadigm within which their profession operates. The nursing metaparadigm attempts to compile or organize the principles and philosophical framework within which a nurse should operate. Nurses can employ the metaparadigm to draw values that they should uphold throughout their careers or set professional goals that improve the quality of healthcare services that they provide. The nursing metaparadigm has four domains: person, health, environment, and nursing. The interplay of these four domains determines how nurses carry out their duties. In this paper, I carefully consider the nursing metaparadigm and nursing philosophies of established organizations as I develop a personal nursing philosophy to guide me throughout my career.

Understanding each of the four domains of the nursing metaparadigm is crucial when developing a nursing philosophy. Although many other nursing theorists had proposed philosophical frameworks for the profession, Margaret Hardy coined the term metaparadigm, noting the chaotic state of nursing knowledge and proposing the need for a common perspective (Alligood, 2014, p. 4-5). Later, Fawcett described the four domains of nursing building upon Hardy’s work. Person, one of the four domains, refers to the patient whom the nurse is treating, along with and their family and friends. Health refers to the needs of the patient depending on where they are on the health-illness continuum. Environment refers to the patient’s surroundings which either contribute to their wellbeing or exacerbate their illness. The final domain, nursing, refers to nurses’ skills and knowledge and how they apply them to promote health. These four domains are the pillars of a strong nursing philosophy.

Synthesizing a personalized definition of each of these four domains can help a nurse better incorporate the nursing metaparadigm into their nursing philosophy. I consider the person the starting point of my nursing approach since, without the patient, I have no role to play. I must remain sensitive to the patient’s emotions and preferences, their characteristics, and how these intersect to promote health and predispose to or worsen illness. Once I have established who the patient is, I can proceed to the health domain. Here, I will consider what specific challenges the patient presents to develop customized solutions to their unique problems. Nursing for me represents being ready to do what is in the patient’s best interests by abiding by evidence-based practice principles and remaining open to learning new technics. The last domain is the environment and requires me to ask where the patient is. This question’s answer should include where the patient is physically, emotionally, culturally, financially, and socially (Bender, 2018). All these factors will determine how well patients respond to treatment and their likelihood of experiencing further health challenges in the future.

Different nursing practitioners and organizations approach the nursing metaparadigm differently, which they reflect in their philosophies. The Miami Dale College Benjamin Léon School of Nursing (2020), for instance, states that its mission is to change lives through accessible, high-quality, evidence-based education. The University of Miami Hospital (2021) indicates that its mission is to be a state-of-the-art academic medical center that serves the South Florida community and beyond. While the former focuses on improving and transforming lives, the latter is more interested in improving itself to serve others better. It appears then that both organizations view their roles in society differently but still maintain that the end goal is service to humanity. Both organizations’ missions are similar in that their goal is to restore and enhance wellness, which is in line with the nursing theory of Jean Watson, who advocates for promoting health and preventing illness (Alligood, 2014, p.83). When their patients recover from illness following nursing interventions, both organizations will have transformed or improved a person’s life and will, therefore, have met their nursing goals. Because of their close relationship with each other, both the school and the hospital share similar values. Some of these values include compassion, high-quality care, innovation and inquiry, education, diversity, equity, and inclusivity. Both organizations intend to provide the best nursing care and education possible to improve patient outcomes and promote good health.

Nursing theorists have attempted to define the operational framework for members of the profession but have failed to reach a consensus. It remains clear, though, that all nurses must work to benefit patients and their communities, no matter which approach they select. My nursing philosophy and the School of Nursing are similar in their end goal, which is to afford patients the best care. Although my nursing philosophy is not as elaborate as that of the school, I believe that we all agree on the need for evidence-based practice, a patient-centered approach, and continuous improvement of techniques, skills, and knowledge. The school is a great role model for what nurses should aspire to be in their careers, as it clearly defines what it believes in and invests numerous resources to uphold this philosophy. I intend to continue developing my nursing philosophy as I interact with more and more patients since every interaction is a learning and practice opportunity.

Going through various nursing theories and understanding how experts in the field think have been an eye-opener. I found myself particularly drawn to Florence Nightingale’s nursing theory and her backstory. She inspired me to be confident in my abilities and not be afraid of pursuing what I know to be right, even when other people around me are complacent. I must always be on the lookout to improve my nursing interventions and bring out the best in my patients and colleagues. I connected more with the school’s philosophy because it is more elaborate. Also, I feel like many of my educators admirably embody the school’s nursing philosophy, which inspires me to do the same.

  • References

Alligood, M. R. (2014). Nursing theorists and their work. Elsevier. Bender, M. (2018). Re-conceptualizing the nursing metaparadigm: Articulating the philosophical ontology of the nursing discipline that orients inquiry and practice. Nursing Inquiry, 25(3), e12243. https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12243 Miami Dale College. (2020). MIAMI DADE COLLEGE BENJAMÍN LEÓN SCHOOL OF NURSING (BLSON) RN-BSN student handbook. https://www.mdc.edu/nursing/docs/BSN-Student-Handbook.pdf University of Miami Hospital. (2021). Mission and values. Umiamihealth.org. https://umiamihealth.org/abouuhealtht-/mission-,-a-,-values

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