Concept Synthesis Paper on Personal Nursing Philosophy
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Autobiography
My name is Lila St. Clair. As a practitioner, I have set myself the task of passing the master’s course in nursing and family health nursing to get success in my career and to get a possibility of saving peoples’ lives. I came from Dominican Republic, where I got my education and then the first experience as a doctor in medicine from 1991 to 1994. In 1994, I moved to Miami and where I served as Nursing Assistant until 2005. I have worked in centers like Maxim Health Care, Catalano’s Nursing Register INC and Westchester Pediatrics. I got my nursing degree in 2004, since then, I have worked as a Director of Nursing and Registered Nurse in different clinics. They are Family Home Health Care, Rubal Home Health Care, and GCA Service INC. I graduated in 2014 with my Bachelors in Nursing Science, but I have been working as a registered nurse at Baptist Children’s Hospital since July of 2005. I work at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and it gave me the opportunity to develop my skills in the area of ICU.
My career goals in family nursing can be described as follows. I hope that I will show high achievement and success in my occupation, and I can claim the position of the main family nurse of a hospital. I am also planning to conduct research on the analysis and evaluation of the quality of family nursing care, practical work on the introduction of modern medical technologies in nursing care. But the higher step of career for nurses at all levels is the training in medical school and receiving a medical profession. I already have skills in certain aspects of professional activity, and I would like them to be better developed. They are patient care, critical care, wound care, dialysis, high-frequency ventilator patient, IV therapy, charge nurse and neonatal resuscitation. Also, I would like to learn and get practice with new skills. Unfortunately, I do not have any international experience, but I would love to work in other countries to share experience and to overcome new challenges. This would help me to raise my skills and reach new career heights. That is why I want to pursue an advanced degree in nursing.
Metaparadigms
A metaparadigm is a set of concepts and theories that gives the broadest view of a discipline. In the context of nursing, metaparadigms provide the general overview of concepts that govern the nursing engagement. The metaparadigm of nursing consist of four conspicuous, namely: nursing, health, environment and people/patient/client (McKenna, Pankhihar, Murphy,
& McKenna, 2014). These are the variables that are evident in the nursing undertakings. They are the variables vital when it comes to defining what nursing entails.
People/Client/Patient
When it comes to people, they are viewed as individuals on the receiving end of the nursing undertakings (McKenna et al., 2014). When practicing nursing, it is essential to define clearly the ‘people’ at hand to ensure that actions and inactions taken meet the demands of a patient being handled. As FNP, there is a need to define clearly the people involved to come up with the corresponding prerequisite undertakings. Understanding assigned families well will be helpful in ensuring the services offered meets their unique demands. Comprehensive nursing care begins with detailed and inclusive preparation. Therefore, it is vital to identify the target group of any nursing undertaking prior to the actual serving. A clear definition of the primary care receivers (people/patient) is of importance as the services rendered.
Environment revolves around all factors that are of significance and relevant to the patients’ health status in terms of illness and recovery journey (McKenna et al., 2014). The concerned nurse should ensure that he or she is conversant with patients’ environment thereby being in a more appropriate position to come up with relevant strategies to handle the situation. This demands identifying internal environment that includes the factors within a patient that can be of influence to illness and the degree of recovery. A good example is the attitude of a patient that can be inhibitive or supportive to a patient’s probability of healing or otherwise. In terms of the external environment, there is a need to familiarize with patients’ surroundings that influence their lifestyle that in most cases account for many lifestyles related illnesses. The main aim of identifying and appreciating the prevailing external and internal factors is to help the concerned nurse to come up with the most appropriate approach in helping a patient make a quick recovery. As FNP, the basic environment is the family unit and a thorough analysis should be done to ensure all present variables are identified. This will make it certain that the one provides inclusive and comprehensive health care services.
Health
This is the degree of a client’s well-being in terms of health status and the associative access to health care services. This metaparadigm entails the health and general well-being of patients, that is in terms of his or her health status and any other related factors. These may include spiritual stability, intellectual well-being, emotions to name but a few. The core of nursing engagement is the promotion of health (Murphy & Smith, 2013). Therefore, a nurse practitioner, identifying a patient’s health status is not only vital in improving a patient’s health care status but also help a nurse at hand to meet the primary expectation as a nurse practitioner. Being FNP demands one to have a clear understanding of the health status of the families concerned to help him or her provide the demanded services in the right manner.
Nursing
Nursing entails all the professional skills and knowledge needed by an individual to start practicing nursing. It is important to mention that well-skilled nurses are at the center of improved patients’ welfare (Murphy & Smith, 2013). Besides, nurses are supposed to have complementary skills that will ensure they forge a healthy relation with patients. The close ties created are vital in winning patients’ trust; it is a phenomenon vital in creating a good exchange where patients feel free to bring forth all the relevant information to a concerned nurse. This in turns makes a nurse at hand be in a better position in terms of proving the relevant services that will meet the medical situation at hand. In the context of FNP, there is the need to complement formal nursing skills with interpersonal relation techniques vital in building and upholding the perpetuity of the nurse- family contact.
Two Practice-Specific Concepts
A family nurse practitioner (FNP) entails the provision of health care services in a family-centered manner. It entails providing health care services to a family unit throughout their life. Consequently, this demands FNP undertakings to be centered on research and relation building.
Relation Building
Providing health care services to people at the family level unit throughout their lives entails a healthy exchange that is crucial in maintaining the ties between the concerned families and a FNP (Neal-Boylan, 2011). Trust is vital in realizing and enhancing the perpetuity of the close ties necessary in the provision of family-centered health care services. A good example is the fact that before a family can comfortably rely on a single FNP practitioner for their health welfare, they must be sure that the concerned nurse is a person whom they can trust. Upholding the strong ties between the units of interest and FNP are a strong bond created through good relations. This demands a solid relation building techniques expected from a qualified FNP. He or she must be in a position to identify the best approach to follow in educating the family members on the best practices needed in guaranteeing them good health status.
Associative Assumptions
- Trust is a big component that enhances the perpetuity of the close ties between a FNP and the concerned families.
- It is expected that a FNP is to provide medical services to concerned family members throughout their lives.
- Patients’ trust in a nurse practitioner plays a major role in making it possible for patients to provide all relevant medical information.
- In FNP, relation building is a vital technique expected in the concerned nurses.
Research
As FNP, it is essential to identify and appreciate the various societal, cultural and personal ideologies held closely to the family members. Research becomes important to FNP in form of heritage assessment whereby the intention is to identify the beliefs held closely by the targeted family units. When it comes to dealing with family members, there is a need to take into consideration that every family has unique practices and, therefore, demands the FNP to be fully conversant with them if he or she is to provide health care services in an acceptable manner (Neal-Boylan, 2011). A good example is where FNP is dealing with families with differing beliefs and cultures. Familiarizing with the different aspects will be helpful in availing a comprehensive help. Also, identifying the prevailing beliefs makes it possible to point out the possible lope holes that may be responsible for the illness the family members are suffering from. Societal research is, therefore, an important aspect in the field of FNP.
Associative Assumptions
- Comprehensive family based health care is based on an informed family oriented approach.
- Every family has unique beliefs and practices thus demands uniquely formulated strategies and actions aimed at meeting the unique demands.
- The most effective way of engaging in nursing undertaking should be evidence-based thus meeting the prevailing demands.
- Successful nursing undertakings should be patient-centered, directed by the professional expertise of a nurse and guided by the set code of ethics.
Supportive Theories to the Practice-Specific Concepts
Peplau’s Interpersonal Relations Model (relation building)
At the center of successful FNP engagement is improved relation between patients and a nurse (relation building). This calls for FNP to enhance the relation with the target families in order to create an environment where proper medical care can be availed. In the same spirit, Peplau’s Interpersonal Relations Model calls for cooperation between a nurse and a client at hand (Murphy & Smith, 2013). Besides, it points out the recognized special role played by a nurse practitioner in creating and upholding this important relation.
Leininger’s Cultural Care Diversity and Universality Theory (Research)
As mentioned earlier, a research in the form of heritage assessment is vital to FNPs in identifying the underlying cultural beliefs held closely by the various families. Leininger’s Cultural Care Diversity and Universality Theory emphasize that every cultural practice holds in it some form of caring (Murphy & Smith, 2013). The theory demands that there is a need to appreciate caring aspects of the culture at hand in order to ensure the health care services work hand in hand and not in competing manner when it comes to health promotion matters.
How Are the Concepts of Transcultural Nursing, the Health Promotion Model, Skill Acquisition, Role Theory, and Change Theory Specifically Integrated into My Philosophy and Practice?
Transcultural nursing is the art of availing nursing services in a manner that incorporates matters centered in the prevailing culture. Heath promotion model agitates for the nursing front to motivate patients to realign their specific behaviors. It encourages health workers to engage more in preventive measures (Murphy & Smith, 2013). On the other hand, skill acquisition entails correlating the gained knowledge through instructions and realities in the field. This enables nursing students to be better positioned in handling the field demands. Change theory demands realignment in the human resource useful in meeting the needed changes in order to handle the health challenges. As a prospective FNP, there is a need to always be in the know-how on matters concerning the cultures at hand when providing health services to different cultural based families. Role theory brings forth the skills gained and responsibilities assigned to nurses and the contributing factor they have to the concerned patients.
Once conversant with the cultural beliefs, it is possible to identify the potential gaps in the cultural practices of the families concerned and, therefore, guiding them on the best way forward. This will help the FNP influence the families concerned to make the medically desired behavioral changes aimed at cautioning them against preventable eventuality. Enrolling in complimentary courses and doing diligent research on matters revolving ethical health care delivery will be helpful in skill acquisition that is relevant to meeting the expected challenges in the field of medical care services. Theory of change is vital in ensuring nurses can make the necessary changes in terms of skills and undertakings in the line of ensuring they provide relevant health care services.
What Research Supports These Theories and Concepts
A common denominator to the above-mentioned theories is nursing engagement that is centered on quality patient-centered health care services. Health care services that are comprehensive and relevant to the demands in the health industry. This is highly evident in the current agitation of the need to uphold evidenced-based practices in nursing. This is to ensure that indeed the services being offered by the nursing front are provided in a friendly welfare enhancing manner (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2011). All nursing actions should be geared towards upholding the efficient and comprehensive nursing care that is inclusive and responsive to the realities in the health care industry.
How Do I Integrate Role and Change Theory into My Professional Practice and How May These Theories Be Applied to the Organization in Which I Practice?
Identifying one’s role as a nurse and attaining corresponding qualifications is vital in making sure that one avails the required help to the patients in the right manner. As a nurse, having a clear understanding of your role ensures one realigns his/her actions to meet the assigned role. On the other hand, change theory demands continuous changes in the human resource to make is certain that the services offered reflect the desired needs. On the individual level, there should be continued enrollment to courses that upgrades one’s capacity to handle his/her role diligently. Within the context of an organization, it is vital to ensure that all nurses have a clear job description to see to it that every health worker avails maximum output. Change is part and parcel of an organization centered in availing the right service and in the right manner. It is, therefore, necessary to constantly ensure that nurses are equipped with the relevant skills at all the time. Upholding these two demands will ensure that a health care services availing organization is well positioned to bring forth helpful heath care services at the time.
References
McKenna, H. P., Pankhihar, M., Murphy, F., & McKenna, H. P. (2014). Fundamentals of nursing models, theories and practice (2nd ed.). Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley Blackwell.
Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2011). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Murphy, F., & Smith, C. (2013). Nursing theories and models. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.
Neal-Boylan, L. (2011). Clinical case studies for the family nurse practitioner. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.
