Personal Philosophy (Conceptualization) of Nursing

The student writes a personal conceptualization of how the phenomena of
nursing care integrated into the individual’s actual nursing practice from the
perspective of both an advanced functional role and a specialized clinical
focus. The content of the philosophy needs to be comprehensive, and it needs to be organized into a congruent statement of beliefs and relationships that can guide advanced nursing practice. It should be comprehensive, clear, concise, internally consistent, well organized, and congruent with one’s actual practice. A model of the philosophy may be included if this is helpful in articulating beliefs and relationships. A maximum of three pages is recommended.
Each individual nurse’s philosophy of nursing is a dynamic and unique system
of beliefs, attitudes, and values about people, health, and nursing that
evolves with increased knowledge and experience. Because these beliefs are
so personal, the philosophy is accepted as it is stated. However, the
graduate student is expected to enhance a personal philosophy to include at
least the following major components:

• Beliefs about each of the major concepts of the profession (human beings,
their environment, health, and nursing), the relationships of these
concepts to each other, and their impact on nursing practice. These
beliefs may include statements about individual or family life process
from birth to death; about the nature of the client system (individual/family,group/community, organizations); about wellness and illness; about holistic caring; about change, levels of prevention, and health care delivery.

• Beliefs about nursing theory, research, and practice, their relationships
to each other, and their impact on the science of nursing. These beliefs
should include endorsement of a particular school of thought or theorists,
an approach to research, or a scope of practice.

• Beliefs about a specialized clinical focus. These beliefs also should
include a specific clinical group, area, or site, such as neonates,
obstetrics, psychiatric/mental health, home health, gerontology, etc.

• Beliefs about an advanced nurse role practice in nursing and how this role articulates with the recipients of nursing care, other health disciplines, and the community at large. These beliefs should include views on professionalism, scholarship, leadership, professional organizations critical thinking, planned change, teaching/learning, group process, consultation, and collaboration