Abstract
My healthcare delivery philosophy is founded on the four meta-paradigms of nursing. My strong background in nursing makes it easier for me to offer adequate care to more patients with diverse needs. This essay gives a detailed analysis of my nursing philosophy. It outlines the major practice-specific concepts and assumptions that dictate my approach to healthcare support. The essay explains why my ultimate goal is to become a pioneer of quality services for my patients.
My Background in Nursing
My nursing background has equipped me with the most desirable competencies that can support my future goals as a caregiver. To begin with, I have completed a wide range of prerequisite units in anatomy, chemistry, physiology, English composition, and pathology. The ideas gained from these units form the basis for my knowledge in nursing. As a nursing student, I have acquainted myself with various competencies that govern various medical practices. For instance, I understand the importance of critical thinking, positive decision-making, problem-solving, and importance of effective communication (Patterson & Krouse, 2015). Such competencies have the potential to support my career objectives. I have worked in different healthcare settings thereby getting the opportunity to provide quality medical support to different clients. I always interact with different professionals in order to acquire new nursing competencies.
These exercises have helped me understand the relevance of evidence-based ideas whenever providing care to my patients. As well, I have understood how to use the four meta-paradigms of nursing. These aspects ensure every nursing process is aimed at maximizing the outcomes of the targeted patients. My understanding of cultural-competence is a strength that supports my nursing practice. I have understood how to use multidisciplinary teams whenever focusing on the diverse needs of many patients. Some simple practices such as teamwork and collaboration have made me a proficient provider of evidence-based health services (Douglas et al., 2011). I have been focusing on new concepts and theories that can improve my nursing competencies. I always embrace the concept of lifelong learning in order to strengthen my healthcare philosophy.
The Four Meta-paradigms
My nursing philosophy is incomplete without the four nursing meta-paradigms. The “first meta-paradigm, person, identifies human beings as the receivers of adequate nursing care” (Douglas et al., 2011, p. 318). Caregivers should ensure all aspects of the person are considered in order to maximize health outcomes. The environment dictates or governs the surroundings associated with a person’s health. Nursing should go beyond the person’s status in order to analyze and address all the major forces affecting his or her health outcomes. The third paradigm is called health. Risjord (2011) defines health as the wellbeing or status anticipated by the recipient of health. Caregivers must “work hard to address the issues affecting their patients and re-pattern their energy fields” (Patterson & Krouse, 2015, p. 77). The fourth meta-paradigm is nursing and focuses on the competencies, actions, and approaches that must be embraced in an attempt to maximize a person’s health outcomes.
As a healthcare worker, it is my obligation to use these meta-paradigms in a professional manner. I always treat my patients as subjects whose needs must be addressed. This means that even sick people have the potential to lead normal or healthy lives. This is the case for persons with terminal illnesses such as diabetes (Kleinpell et al., 2014). My nursing model also focuses on the best approaches to deal with the health challenges affecting underserved populations. The environment is comprised of different elements that influence people’s health outcomes. I always consider various environmental patterns and forces that can be embraced to improve people’s health. Patients and family members should be involved in the health delivery process (Douglas et al., 2011). With this knowledge, I always consider the major aspects affecting the health outcomes of my patients. It is appropriate to consider the economic, social, cultural, and geographical issues affecting my patients. These aspects make it easier for me to design workable heath delivery models for my clients.
The fourth meta-paradigm is known to dictate the manner in which the other three are combined to get desirable health results. Nursing is a process that should focus on the needs of clients, their respective environments, and existing health options (Kleinpell et al., 2014). As a caregiver, I always use my philosophy of nursing to ease pain and promote the best health practices. My obligation is to attract different stakeholders in an attempt to achieve positive health results. I embrace various competencies such as evidence-based practice, ethical decision-making, collaboration, teamwork, and cultural competence in order to deliver quality nursing support to every patient (Carman et al., 2013).
Practice Specific Concepts
Nurses should consider various concepts that have the potential to improve the health outcomes of their patients (Schnall et al., 2012). This fact explains why medical professionals have proposed a wide range of practice-specific concepts that can make a difference in nursing. Various models and theories in nursing encourage practitioners to promote new practices that can address the needs of more people (Carman et al., 2013). This notion is what guides and empowers me whenever supporting the health demands of different clients. That being the case, I have identified various practice-specific concepts that support my nursing philosophy. The practice-specific concepts are described below.
Evidence-based practice
In order to deliver desirable and timely care to my clients, I always embrace the power of evidence-based practice. The term evidence-based approach focuses on “the process through which practitioners combine their expertise with available external researches in order to offer desirable care” (Carman et al., 2013, p. 225). I always identify and embrace new research findings in nursing in order to deliver quality care to more patients. The practice has equipped me with new values thereby being able to support the health needs of more populations.
Evidence-based approaches have made it easier for me tackle a wide range of obstacles affecting the needs of my clients (Carman et al., 2013). For instance, I always study widely in order to identify new treatment methods that can deal with various diseases. The concept also encourages caregivers to engage in lifelong learning. This practice is supported by many scholars because of its potential to present exemplary ideas in nursing. Individuals engaged in lifelong learning find it easier to address various challenges (Douglas et al., 2011). They also identify specific solutions to a wide range of obstacles associated with nursing. This practice-specific concept has continued to support my obligations and goals as a healthcare provider. The concept will eventually support my goals and make me a pioneer of desirable health services.
Cultural competence
The meta-paradigms of nursing show conclusively that healthcare delivery is a complex field that requires numerous concepts and skills (Douglas et al., 2011). A nurse providing healthcare to a specific individual will have to tackle various issues in order to record positive results. Risjord (2011) argues that “healthcare workers are faced with numerous roles that require them to offer adequate care to persons from diverse backgrounds” (p. 31). During such situations, it becomes necessary for caregivers to abandon their values and support those of their patients. This notion explains why nurses should always focus on the welfare of their populations and clients (Douglas et al., 2011). This description shows clearly that nurses and healthcare providers should be possess adequate cultural competencies.
Risjord (2011) defines “cultural competence as a set of behaviors, policies, notions, and strategies that are embraced by medical practitioners whenever delivering care to individuals from diverse backgrounds” (p. 49). As a caregiver, it has been my duty to ensure every patient receives quality health support. Nurses serve patients from diverse cultural, racial, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. Each patient has his or her health expectations. It is therefore the role of caregivers to consider the expectations of the targeted patients before designing personalized health delivery models (Schnall et al., 2012).
My approach to cultural competence is something that makes supports my nursing philosophy. I always consider the diverse needs of my clients from diverse backgrounds. The same knowledge is applied whenever dealing with my workmates from different backgrounds (Patterson & Krouse, 2015). The approach makes it easier for me to develop multi-disciplinary teams that can help more patients (Schnall et al., 2012). I will always use this practice-specific concept because it has the potential to support the changing health needs of many clients. The concept will also make me a proficient provider of evidence-based care to more patients.
List of Propositions
Nursing philosophies guide practitioners and caregivers whenever supporting the needs of their patients. The philosophies encourage them to focus on attainable goals while at the same time empowering their health recipients (Risjord, 2011). Nurses are expected to use carefully-designed propositions whenever planning to achieve quality results. Throughout the process, medical workers should acquire new skills that will support their health delivery models. They will also acquire evidence-based concepts and pioneer new models that can improve the health outcomes of their patients (Schnall et al., 2012). The major issues affecting diverse and vulnerable populations should be considered in order to transform their health outcomes. The propositions presented below will guide me as I work hard towards becoming a professional healthcare worker.
- Nurses must address the health issues affecting patients and their families.
- Nursing should support the concept of lifelong learning in order to improve the quality of medical care.
- Nurses have a role to advance and develop new health promotion models.
- Nurses must act ethically and put the needs of their clients first.
- Cultural competence should be embraced by nurses in order to support the changing needs of more diverse populations.
My understanding is that nursing practice should be able to address a wide range of health challenges. This fact explains why the above propositions will support my future career obligations and goals (Schnall et al., 2012). In conclusion, I will read more books in order to acquire new concepts that can support my career objectives.
References
Carman, K., Dardess, P., Maurer, M., Sofaer, S., Adams, K., Bechtel, C.,…Sweeney, J. (2013). Patient and family engagement: a framework for understanding the elements and developing interventions and policies. Health Affairs, 32(2), 223-231.
Douglas, M., Pierce, J., Rosenkoetter, M., Pacquiao, D., Callister, L., Hattar-Pollara, M.,…Purnell, L. (2011). Standards of practice for culturally competent nursing care: 2011 update. Journal of Trans-cultural Nursing, 22(4), 317-333.
Kleinpell, R., Scanlon, A., Hibbert, D., Ganz, F., Fraser, D., Wong, F.,…Beauchesne, M. (2014). Addressing issues impacting advanced nursing practice worldwide. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 19(1), 1-14.
Patterson, B., & Krouse, A. (2015). Competencies for leaders in nursing education. Nursing Education Perspectives, 36(2), 76-82.
Risjord, M. (2011). Nursing knowledge: science, practice, and philosophy. New York, NY: Wiley.
Schnall, R., Cook, S., John, R., Larson, E., Stone, P., Sullivan, C.,…Bakken, S. (2012). Patient safety issues in advanced practice nursing students’ care settings. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 27(2), 132-138.