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EDITORIAL

Articulating Your Philosophy of Nursing

As the profession of nursing is dealing with rapid changes in knowledge and practice, the specialty of school nursing is attempting to articulate its value in the educational setting. Both the profession and spe- cialty are maturing, and along with this natural pro- cess, nurses are clarifying their roles and scope of prac- tice. As nurses examine their practice, they also are questioning what is fundamentally important to them as nurses and as individuals-their values and beliefs. This has become particularly critical as more and more nurses in all settings are finding that changing de- mands and expectations of the role are greater than the resources or number of hours in the day to accom- plish what nurses would define as quality nursing care. Such demands are pushing nurses to examine their values and what drew them to the profession of nursing in search of balance and meaning in the work setting. One strategy nurses can use to affirm that their

practice is in harmony with their value system is to write a personal philosophy statement. This might be general in nature, such as a philosophy that relates to life values; it could be a philosophy statement related to beliefs about the profession of nursing; or it might be a philosophy specific to school nursing. In each case, this activity will encourage nurses to clarify their values and then examine how their philosophy fits with their professional practice. Articulating a philos- ophy statement is an intellectual activity that requires careful thought, because values need to be identified, clarified, and prioritized. Once these values are iden- tified, putting them together into a short, cohesive statement is a challenging process (Chitty, 2001).

The first part of the process is identifying general values-values related to the nature of humankind and society. These are the core values held by an in- dividual, which are few in number but may evolve as individuals mature and society changes. Examples of these core values may relate to the dignity of man, the sanctity of life, or values that give direction to our journey of life. Personal values are influenced by fam- ily, culture, religious orientation, education, and the choice of one’s life work. All of these factors contrib- ute to who we are, what we believe, and more impor- tantly, how we act.

Next, values that relate to the profession of nursing are delineated. Ideas may come from the American Nurses’ Association’s code for nurses (American Nurs- es’ Association, 1985) or the Standards o f Professional School Nursing Practice (National Association of School Nurses, 1998) and may include such themes as caring, confidentiality, integrity, accountability, competence, and improving the quality of care. Other important values of the nursing profession are altruism, ethics, and professionalism. In addition, the roles nurses per- form are often integrated into philosophy statements. Examples are caregiver, advocate, collaborator, case manager, health educator, counselor, leader, and re- searcher. Themes specific to school nursing relate to the population served-children, families, and staff- and the settings where care is delivered-the school and the community. Specific goals of school nursing may be articulated and include the prevention of dis- ease, the promotion and maintenance of health, and creation of an optimal environment for learning. Oth- er important ideas are issues in today’s society related to the allocation of resources and the delegation of care.

Finally, the philosophy statement should end with a few sentences of how personal values articulate with values about nursing. Concluding statements could re- late to striving for balance and profession growth through continued learning. Caring for oneself as well as others is a critical issue for busy nurses, as is being a good role model for health in our homes, schools, and communities. The final statement often relates to how you hope to make a difference-in yourself or in your home, school, community, or the world. My first experience in articulating a philosophy of

nursing was when I was completing a master’s degree in nursing of children. A class assignment forced me to synthesize my personal beliefs with what I had learned about caring for children and families. Al- though the requirements were for a short statement, the time taken to list these values and then organize them into a cohesive whole was daunting. What re- sulted was a meaningful statement that I still share with students today, 30 years later. This experience has inspired me to challenge others to take the same step and create their own personal philosophy of nursing.

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Through the years I have assigned graduate stu- dents in my nursing education and child health nurs- ing classes to write their own philosophy of nursing education or child health nursing. Most find this as- signment a meaningful part of their professional growth and an appropriate capstone experience at the end of their master’s degree program. More recently, I have been teaching a course on the Art and Science of Nursing to beginning nursing students and have re- quired them to write a philosophy of nursing. Their enthusiasm and ability to capture the essence of nurs- ing and the many roles nurses perform in today’s health care system have been amazing, considering the point where they are in their career. As they com- plete their baccalaureate program, students will have an opportunity to update or rewrite their philosophy as they enter the profession of nursing.

The box below has a short philosophy of life I re- cently created to provide students an example on how to capture some personal beliefs on paper. It pulls to- gether some of the priorities that influence both my personal and professional life. Writing these down has helped me refocus my energies on what is really im- portant to me, especially at a time when competing demands often overshadow important values and how my time is used.

Readers, I encourage each of you to take some time as we enter a new year to create your personal philos- ophy of nursing. Consider the ideas presented in this editorial as a starting point in identifying what is im- portant to you. Next, pull these ideas together in a short statement that reflects your personal and pro- fessional values. Each philosophy statement will be uniquely you. It may not be perfect or all inclusive, but it is an effort to clarify what you believe. As you

review your philosophy, seriously consider how this statement will guide your practice as a school nurse. When you complete your philosophy, I encourage you to send me a copy. If I have a good response, I will share some of your ideas in a future editorial.

Like life, a statement of philosophy is a work in progress. It is ever changing as we change and as the world around us changes. Saving earlier versions pro- vides evidence of our personal and professional growth over the years. Making the effort to articulate your values in a one-page statement is a valuable

learning strategy for nurses today as we strive to pro- vide the best quality care to children and families. Fre- quently it gives us an opportunity to really examine what we believe and how this fits with our personal and professional lives. When there is not congruence between one’s philosophy and one’s personal or pro- fessional life, it provides the motivation to reconcile these differences. The development of a personal phi- losophy is an opportunity to explore what we believe. It is an inspiring, growth-producing experience. A phi- losophy statement expresses our unique values and goals that ultimately guide our practice as professional nurses.

Janice Denehy, RN, PhD, Executive Editor

REFERENCES

American Nurses’ Association. (1985). Code for nurses with inter- pretive statements. Washington, DC: Author.

Chitty, K. K. (2001). Professional nursing: Concepts and challenges (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: WB Saunders.

National Association of School Nurses. (1998). Standards of profes- sional school nursing practice. Scarborough, ME: Author.

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