Nursing Philosophy: Musings on a Personal Practice
Tiina Allen
University of Texas at Arlington

In partial fulfillment of the requirements of
Transition to Professional Nursing
NURS 3645
Jeanean Boyd, MSN, RN
October 05, 2012 Online RN-BSN

Nursing Philosophy: Musings on a Personal Practice
We often hear that nursing is an art and a science, and I firmly believe that. The way a nurse blends those aspects of care defines the nurse. As nurses, our roles in our patients’ lives vary depending on their needs. We are teachers as well as technical experts, and our ultimate goal is to ensure our patients and families are ready to take over when the …show more content…

Through we have a varied mix of skill levels, values, and talents, as a team we manage to form a cohesive whole. I count on my nurses to provide outstanding care to their patients, to hold themselves and each other accountable for maintaining high standards, and to support each other as needed. I also count on them for holding me accountable when the minutia of providing care for patients or my nurses gets in the way of my seeing the big picture.
In my own life, it has taken me a long while to take charge of my health. I am currently working hard to quit smoking, and have recently lost fifty of the extra sixty or so pounds I’ve been carrying. Like a lot of nurses, I put off preventative care, and wait too long before seeing a physician when I need to. This disconnect between my professional values and my personal behavior baffles me. I cannot expect my patients and families to view me as an authority on health if I am unhealthy. This year has been one of trying to bring my own lifestyle into line with my beliefs.
Vision for the Future
In two years, I will have completed my BSN. At that point, I want to take a clinical instructor position while I pursue my MSN. I seem to have come full circle in what I want to be when I grow up, and combining my love of nursing with my love of teaching seems to be the best of both worlds.
In five years, I hope to have completed my MSN. By that time I will have been a clinical instructor for long enough to know if I want to