PHILOSOPHY OF ADVANCE PRACTICE NURSING

What professional nursing means to me

• Person: I believe that a connection with the person for whom you are caring is vital to their recovery. The person is represented by not only themselves but an extension of themselves, such as family and loved ones. I believe that the person has the autonomy to make decisions about what they feel is the best care for them, embracing their strengths and weaknesses and utilizing all areas to ensure that their care is customized to that person. I believe that care for the entire person and their unique circumstances is crucial to proper care delivery.

• Environment: I believe that the external environment is vital to optimal patient outcomes. I believe that allowing a patient to recover or receive treatment in an environment that they are comfortable in and used to can result in better outcomes than treatment received in an acute care setting. I believe that a person is empowered to make changes in their external environment that will result in a higher focus on health and wellbeing. I believe that family and culture also play a role in the environment and that allowing the person to surround themselves with family/loved ones and embracing religious and cultural traditions that they have known will encourage further healing and recovery.

• Health: I believe that taking into account all aspects of the patients’ person will result in customized care that is optimal for that person. Understanding the patients socioeconomic status, their access to healthcare, past medical history, genetic factors that may cause them to be predisposed to a certain medical illness, their knowledge of their illness, their understanding of their own body, and their knowledge of their own emotional health will allow each patient to receive the best care possible. Offering proper education to the patient about the areas of their life that can make an overall influence in their health is vital to the treatment and recovery process.

• Nursing: I believe that proper care of the patient is obtainable through thorough education, training, and customization of care by the nurse practitioner. Part of the nurse practitioners' role is to advocate for their patient in all aspects of care, including what health care services they should receive, obtaining the patients' desire for wellness and educating the importance of follow up care after treatment in an acute setting. I believe that it is the nurse practitioners' responsibility to include every aspect of the patients' life in developing a plan of care for that patient. I believe that by integrating the patients' access to health care, their socioeconomic status, their education level, their family environment, and their desire for overall health and wellbeing with objective data obtained through direct patient care can create the optimal plan of care for the patient. I believe that it is the nurse practitioners' responsibility to utilize technology, clinical and professional judgment, and collaboration with other members of the healthcare team to obtain a personalized plan of care that can result in positive outcomes.