Running head: Beliefs About Nursing
Beliefs About Nursing
Amanda Gregory-Mast, RN
Nursing 312 Professional Nursing Concepts
Beliefs About Nursing
Nursing is an extraordinary profession. Florence Nightingale defined nursing as "the act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist him in his recovery”. Nightingale considered a clean, well-ventilated, and quiet environment essential for recovery. She raised the status of nursing through education. Nurses were no longer untrained housekeepers but people educated in the care of the sick.
Concepts of Nursing
There are four concepts of nursing: Human beings (people), the environment, health and nursing. (Kearney-Nunnery, ...view middle of the document...
As a nurse I need to make sure I am meeting my patients needs and answering any questions they may have. I also need to emphasize the importance of managing chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes and congestive heart failure.
Nursing is different for each person practicing. My passion and the reason I went into this profession was not only to care for people but also to be an advocate/voice for those who cannot advocate or have a voice for themselves. It is extremely important to me that my patients understand their treatment plan and feel comfortable asking questions when they have them. I want them to be as much of a part of their recovery planning as the rest of the medical team.
The theory that I relate to the most is that of Dorothy Johnson and her behavioral system model. It is described as “focusing on the person as a behavioral system, made up of all the patterned, repetitive, and purposeful elements of behavior that characterize life”. (Kearney-Nunnery, 2012, pg 40). I believe that a person’s behavior or emotional health directly relates to their physical health. I am currently working in a mental health facility and believe that how a person feels emotionally directly affects their physical health. If you are depressed you are less likely to bathe, wash your clothing, eat right, etc. which will in turn cause physical problems such as infections and malnutrition. Johnson’s theory can be used across the lifespan and cultures. She...