I have taken a long but fulfilling journey to become a professional in nursing and have an opportunity to provide safe and quality care to patients. As a nurse, one is placed in a vital position to interact with and provide health care services to a diverse patient population. The process involves creating productive relationships with patients to understand their needs and provide personalized care. Socialization and professional development have and continue to play a critical role in my career path. They have informed my dream and desire to pursue the baccalaureate-prepared nursing qualification.
Personal Development of Nursing Ideals
I have come from far, especially in my awareness of nursing ideals. Before my career as a nurse and during the initial days of my training, I considered nursing as a peripheral profession and believed that nurses played a vital role in helping doctors to provide care to patients. I never thought that a nurse took a critical position in the continuum of care. From such a perspective, it did not matter whether nurses were available or adequate as long as doctors providing care to patients were available.
However, my original idea completely changed when I accompanied an ailing relative to a healthcare center. Although I had gone to the hospital before, I had not interacted much with nurses because I had not been hospitalized. However, when my relative was admitted, I had the opportunity to interact closely with nurses and appreciate their vital role in health care. The experience taught me new aspects that I did not know before and completely changed my prior notion about nursing. I realized that nurses are essential players for the delivery of safe and quality care.
Since I became interested in a nursing career, I have realized various core values that inform my interaction with patients and other professionals in health care. I recognize the importance of compassion, empathy, integrity, respect, and morality in nursing. However, I have not always had these values since they have advanced in the course of caring for my patients. They have developed through learning and experience as I interact and relate with others.
Personal Statement
I have received advanced clinical knowledge to monitor and provide care within the complex healthcare system. The baccalaureate qualification offers new knowledge and skills to provide better care to patients and their families. The program shows that I have earned the mandate to assume the diverse responsibilities aligned with my current educational preparation (Spetz & Bates, 2013). Besides, I can now practice across multiple settings to meet the increasing and complex needs of my patients. I have become better in critical thinking and clinical judgment, case management, supervision, and working in critical care settings. I have the potential to guide patients and families through the maze of healthcare decisions and care processes.
Although I exhibited important values, attributes, and understood different nursing concepts, I have advanced my knowledge through professional and educational development. I have realized the significance of patient-centered care, which is a healthcare model that recognizes the role of a patient in the care process (Davis Boykins, 2014). To place the patient at the center of the care process, I have developed various values and attributes such as compassion, moral decision-making, integrity when working with patients and their families, honesty and respect, ethical leadership, and the importance of evidence-based care. I also recognize the role of a positive relationship with the patient for progressive care outcomes.
My philosophy of nursing has not changed much, but I have become stronger as I progressed through the baccalaureate nursing program. I have always considered the patient as a whole and in need of holistic care to gain complete healing. I recognize the need to use my professional knowledge and compassionate care when dealing with patients and their families (Davis Boykins, 2014). My embodied values have also broadened as I gain advanced experience in my role as a nurse. I now understand the need to take care of the patient’s spiritual, physical, and emotional health.
Patient-based care is a concept and nursing model that appeals to me because it aligns with my nursing philosophy. The idea is critical because it focuses on the place of a patient in the care process. I have gained the baccalaureate to improve patient care and as part of the IOM recommendations, which aim to increase the number of nurses with this degree and enhance the quality of care through lifelong learning. I also wish to provide evidence-based care to patients to eliminate mistakes in the care process. I am also learning to expand interprofessional collaboration as part of care improvement for better quality.
My vision for the future of nursing is a place where health care facilities will have adequate nurses at all levels of care to eliminate suffering. I envision a future where more nurses from diverse demographics and backgrounds are pursuing degrees and advanced education in nursing to become better caregivers. I also visualize a future where nurses will be actively engaged in interprofessional and interdisciplinary collaborations to become competent in dealing with complex health problems.