We should also strive to model positive healthy behaviors in our own lives in the belief that we will provide better care to others if we care for ourselves first Nurses have a commitment to keep current in knowledge and skills and seek self enhancement through perpetual learning By doing this we will not remain stagnant in our beliefs but evolve professionally through evidence based practice and technological advances My vision for myself as a nurse is that I will always continue learning not only from textbooks and journals but from interactions with other members of the healthcare team and by being involved in the experiences of the patients and their families I want to learn each day and apply what I ve learned to improve my skills as a nurse My personal core values and beliefs as an individual are kindness honesty persistence lifelong learning security family and success in achieving my goals I use these values and beliefs to make personal decisions and live my everyday life I believe that the core of nursing is caring knowledge and integrity The focus of nursing is on patient needs patient healing patient safety and patient empowerment I feel that my personal and professional philosophies are congruent because my personal values overlap the driving forces behind the core of nursing The qualities that make a good nurse cannot be turned off at the end of shift but are part of me as a person and I carry them with me always To live out my philosophies daily I must remember that even though I always try to do my best I am human and am not perfect If something does not go as expected I will examine the situation and try to learn from it I will continue my work with confidence that I am a better nurse than the day before and I will be a better nurse tomorrow than I was today I will also take time to monitor and reflect on my own actions to verify I am staying on track with what I believe are best nursing practices We should uphold our personal and professional ethical standards at all times
When we find conflict between our personal beliefs and those of the patient we should endeavor to find a mentor to guide us through our conflict and find a solution that meets the needs of the patient without compromising our own personal belief system As nurses we must vow to take accountability for our own actions I must remember that my fellow nurses can be great resources They deserve respect and recognition for their hard work reliability and knowledge Nurses should support and assist fellow nurses nursing students and other healthcare providers to provide a positive team environment Together we can collaborate to maximize the patient's health potential on the illness wellness continuum As nurses we can do our part to improve the image of the nursing profession through daily work ethics as well as involvement in the community political and professional nursing organizations Through these forums nurses can collectively improve healthcare standards both locally and globally I think I am still in nursing today because every day always brings new opportunities and experiences The field of nursing doesn't leave room for boredom If one area of nursing should happen to no longer meet my needs or career goals there are a variety of other specialties available to nurses My most important contribution to nursing right now is my positive outlook on life enthusiasm and the ability to offer hope to patients and their families The contribution I hope to make to nursing in the future is being a leader and mentor and be an inspiration to others to enter into the nursing profession I would also like to contribute to improving healthcare quality through effective pain management through my goal of becoming a nurse anesthetist References American Nurses Association 2005 Code for nurses with interpretive statements Washington DC Author American Nurses Association 2010 Nursing's social policy statement 3rd ed Washington DC Nursebooks org Chitty K Black B 2007 Professional Nursing Concepts and Challenges St Louis MI Saunders Elsevier Inc Wu X 2008 My Nursing philosophy as viewed through nursing paradigm Illuminations 17 2 5 7 Retrieved from www cinahl com cgi bin refsvc jid 1839 accno 2010174751
