A personal nursing philosophy in practice

The use of a nursing philosophy as the basis for nursing practice promotes the proper application of nursing knowledge as well as the development of further nursing theory and knowledge. My personal philosophy of nursing seeks to encompass the art of conveying nursing science holistically with compassion and dignity. To illustrate this nursing philosophy, the four nursing metaparadigm concepts are described in relation to nursing as both a science and an art. Nursing science and art are also discussed in relation to nursing as a profession. The concepts of family-centered care and developmental care highlight the practice of nursing as an art. The use of nursing knowledge in practice is discussed through the use of nursing's five ways of knowing, nursing theories, borrowed theories, and nursing's paradigms. The concept of the nurse scholar and the further development of nursing knowledge is identified as a priority. Supportive examples from my nursing experience working in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are utilized to highlight the importance of nursing knowledge development and the provision of optimal patient care.