Personal Nursing Philosophy and The Four Concepts of Nursing Meta-paradigms
[Author]
[Affiliation]
[Course]
[Instructor]
[Due date]
Personal Nursing Philosophy and the four concepts of Nursing Meta-paradigms
Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to discuss my personal philosophy of nursing that I plan
to implement in my nursing career. This outlines the values, beliefs and goals that will drive
me to be an effective nurse. A brief description of the nursing paradigms is also covered,
painting a big picture of caring for patients, their health and their humanity. I believe these
meta-paradigms of nursing together with my personal philosophy will help during my nursing
study and work (Marchuk, 2014).
My nursing philosophy
As an aspiring nurse, my philosophy on nursing is that if I use the characteristics of
honesty, persistence, and compassion, coupled with a lifelong learning and a willingness to
represent those in need, I believe that I can promote the well-being of my patients and help
improve their outcomes as well as those of their loved ones, culminating to become a strong
member of the profession.
Nursing Meta-paradigms concepts
My philosophy of nursing characterizes the discipline of nursing using the four
concepts of the nursing meta-paradigm: nursing, person, environment, and health (Branch,
2016). These concepts are discussed below:
Nursing - this concept is related to what nurses do. This comprises of the nursing actions or
nursing interventions unlike the other three concepts; person, environment and health which
all relate to the recipient(s) of nursing actions or care. This concept covers how nurses apply
their expertise and technical skills, either directly or indirectly on patient care.
Person - This concept describes the recipient of nursing care which is provided by the nurses.
It is important to note that the level and type of the care offered by nurses will vary based on
the needs of the patient or client. The person concept may also include the recipient's (the
patient) family and friends and/or the community.
Environment - As opposed to our typical thinking that environment is something (setting or
place) external to us, in the meta-paradigm of nursing, a person's environment is also internal.
Stress, genetics, and adaptation are few examples of internal factors that fall under a person's
environment. We can, therefore, define the environment concept as consisting of internal,
external, and social factors that impact a patient's health. Examples of such factors include
politics, education level, genetics, immune function, culture, economics, geographic location,
ecology, social status, job/career level, mental state, goals etc.
Health - This concept is relative to the person and is defined according to the patient's
perspective i.e. the patient’s values, beliefs and culture. Therefore, what one person A
considers healthy or even an acceptable quality of life, may be considered unhealthy or an
unacceptable quality of life to person B. The health concept can thus be referred to as the
patient's entire level of wellness in physical, social, psychological, aesthetic and moral
realms. This also encompasses the person's ability to access healthcare and resources to
support health and wellness.
Conclusion
Based on the four concepts discussed above, there is no single concept that I would
neither add nor eliminate from the meta-paradigms of nursing because these four concepts
cover all the influences that have both negative and positive impacts on hospital client's
health.
References
Branch, C., Deak, H., Hiner, C., & Holzwart, T. (2016). Four nursing metaparadigms. IU
South Bend Undergraduate Research Journal, 16, 123-132.
Marchuk, A. (2014). A personal nursing philosophy in practice. Journal of neonatal nursing,
20(6), 266-273.
