Personal Philosophy of Nursing Practice: A Commitment to Holistic Care, Advocacy, and Social Change
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My personal philosophy of nursing practice is based on the conception that nursing is a profession that is scientifically based, with a nursing practice that involves clinical knowledge and skills, compassion, ethico-social responsibility, and advocacy to promote the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. I believe nursing is more than just clinical practice or the treatment of diseases; it is the understanding of the patient as a whole, an individual with physical, emotional, cultural, social, and environmental needs that affect their health. Nursing is an expectation of providing safe, evidence-based, and holistic care and appreciating that all patients are unique, deserve dignity, respect, and personal care (Botana Gronek et al., 2025). My philosophy has developed through my professional experiences, interactions with patients, and growing understanding of the responsibilities of nurses as caregivers, educators, advocates, and leaders.
My professional experiences have had an impact on my understanding of the nursing practice. Working in clinical settings has shown me that patients often present with complex healthcare needs that cannot be addressed through medical interventions alone. From this experience, I have developed and understood that to be an effective nurse, you must be able to listen, communicate in a therapeutic manner, think critically, and become aware of the unique factors that influence an individual’s health. Every patient has unique experiences, beliefs, barriers, and strengths that need to be taken into account as a plan of care is developed (Kelsall-Knight & Stevens, 2024). All of these experiences have further strengthened my conviction that, as a nurse, I need to care for the whole person rather than the disease process alone. The nursing metaparadigm, person, environment, health, and nursing, embraces this holistic concept by focusing on the interplay between person, environment, health experiences, and nursing interventions (Botana Gronek et al., 2025).
My areas of interest and developing expertise include evidence-based practice, patient education, healthcare improvement, and promoting equitable healthcare outcomes. I believe that nurses need to be lifelong learners as health care is continually evolving and changing through research, technology, and the dynamic health care needs of the population. As I continue my nursing education, I am keen on building my knowledge and skills to be able to consider evidence, look for gaps in care, and participate in interventions that will ensure patient safety and quality outcomes. Advanced nursing practice extends beyond simply applying knowledge gained to an examination of existing practices, the application of evidence from research, and contributions to fostering useful changes in health care systems (Kelsall-Knight & Stevens, 2024). My ultimate objective is to become a nurse who delivers the best possible direct care to patients and who also helps to foster overall improvements in healthcare delivery.
My personal beliefs about nursing practice are centered on compassion, respect, advocacy, and accountability. I believe every patient deserves care that acknowledges their individual values, preferences, and circumstances. As a bridge between patients, families, and healthcare systems, nurses often see where things can get stuck and can be the first to speak up for improved outcomes. I believe that economics, education, access to health care resources, culture, environment, and clinical situation are all factors that may affect one’s health. Social determinants of health are important determinants of health outcomes; when planning for effective and realistic care, nurses should identify them (World Health Organization, 2021). Nurses need to be cognizant of the obstacles encountered by patients and collaborate with them to alleviate those challenges that impede good health.
As a future DNP-prepared nurse, I will broaden my perspective from the bedside to the population level, increase my knowledge of healthcare equality, healthcare policies, and system-level improvement. I understand that many health problems relate to issues of society and organisations and that nurses have a role to play in being concerned about these issues. I intend to engage deeper in evidence-based quality improvement efforts, cross-disciplinary work, and advocacy for increased healthcare access and quality. I also intend to maintain my learning of technology, research methods, and healthcare innovation to support effective nursing practice in a changing healthcare environment.
My philosophy is to support the larger mission of nursing through service, leadership, and dedication to promoting human health. In my opinion, nursing is a profession that relies on relationships and trust, and one in which a nurse should be trained to integrate scientific knowledge with compassion and ethical decision-making. Through ongoing education and continuing professional development, I aim to contribute to improvements in health care that benefit individual patients, families, and communities. My philosophy of nursing practice is rooted in the concept that the best nursing care is delivered through a lens that sees the individual behind the diagnosis, considers what influences an individual’s health, and facilitates the use of knowledge and compassion to make a difference in the provision of health care.
References
Botana Gronek, M., Bleijlevens, M., Vluggen, S., Moonen, E., Van Dijk, A., Erkens, P., … & Meijers, J. (2025). Nursing theories as guidance for autonomy support in activities of daily living: A scoping review. BMC Nursing, 24(1), 479. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-02990-5 Links to an external site.
Kelsall-Knight, L., & Stevens, R. (2024). Exploring the implementation of person-centred care in nursing practice. Nurs Stand, 39(1), 70–5. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lucille-Kelsall-Knight/publication/376522858.pdf Links to an external site.
World Health Organization. (2021). Social determinants of health. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health Links to an external site.
NURS-8114 week 1 Philosophies of Nursing Practice discussion instructions
By Day 3 Of Week 1
Post the following:
Explain your initial thinking about your personal philosophy of nursing practice. Be specific and provide examples. Include descriptions of the following:
Your professional experiences
Your area(s) of interest and expertise
Your personal beliefs about nursing practice
Your goals and plans for expanding your awareness of issues beyond your current practice in alignment with Walden’s mission for social change and the SDOH framework
Note: Your posts should be substantial (500 words minimum), supported with scholarly evidence from your research and/or the Learning Resources, and properly cited using APA Style. Personal anecdotes are acceptable as part of a meaningful post but cannot stand alone as the entire post.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ posts.
By Day 6 of Week 1
Respond to at least two of your classmates, on different days, who shared life experiences or beliefs significantly different from your own in both of the following ways:
Explain how your differences in experience or belief may have shaped your philosophies in different ways.
Offer a suggestion, based on your experience, which is related to their goals and plans for expanding their awareness of issues beyond their current practice in alignment with Walden’s mission for social change and the SDOH framework.
Note: Your responses to classmates should be substantial (250 words minimum), supported with scholarly evidence from your research and/or the Learning Resources, and properly cited using APA Style. Personal anecdotes are acceptable as part of a meaningful response, but cannot stand alone as a response. Your responses should enrich the initial post by supporting and/or offering a fresh viewpoint, and be constructive, thereby enhancing the learning experience for all students.
NURS-8114 week 1 Philosophies of Nursing Practice discussion Sample 2
My Personal Philos ophy of Nursing Practice: Compassion, Advocacy, and Health Equity
My initial philosophy of nursing practice is that nursing is a science-based, compassionate profession centered on caring for the whole person while promoting dignity, autonomy, health equity, and a meaningful quality of life. Nursing involves more than diagnosing illnesses or completing clinical tasks. It requires nurses to understand each person’s physical, psychological, social, cultural, and environmental circumstances. McEwen and Wills (2022) explain that nursing philosophy and theory provide a foundation for defining nursing’s values, purposes, and relationships among the concepts of person, environment, health, and nursing. My professional experiences have taught me that these four domains are inseparable in effective nursing practice.
I have been a registered nurse since 2000 and a family nurse practitioner since 2016. My professional experience includes emergency care, primary care, urgent care, telemedicine, pediatric care, weight management, hormone replacement therapy, and psychiatric medication management. I am also a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner and provide services to older adults residing in assisted-living and memory-care communities. Additionally, my husband and I own and operate Freedom Family Practice in Lakeland, Florida. These diverse experiences have allowed me to care for patients across the lifespan and in environments ranging from emergency departments and outpatient clinics to patients’ homes and long-term care facilities.
My primary areas of interest and expertise include family practice, emergency care, mental health, and improving access to individualized health care. Emergency nursing has taught me to assess patients rapidly, prioritize immediate threats, and make clinical decisions under pressure. However, it has also shown me that an emergency department visit may be the result of larger concerns, such as an inability to obtain primary care, limited transportation, medication costs, inadequate insurance coverage, or low health literacy. Treating the immediate illness without recognizing these underlying barriers may result in repeated emergency visits and continued poor health outcomes.
In my family practice, I can address some of these concerns through continuity of care, patient education, disease prevention, and appropriate follow-up. For example, when treating a patient with poorly controlled diabetes or hypertension, I believe it is important to ask whether the patient can afford the prescribed medications, obtain nutritious food, understand the treatment plan, and travel to follow-up appointments. A plan may be clinically appropriate but will not be effective if it is unrealistic within the patient’s circumstances.
My work in memory care settings provides another example of how my professional experiences have shaped my philosophy. I have learned that agitation, aggression, crying, sleep disturbances, or other behavioral changes should not automatically be viewed as psychiatric symptoms requiring additional medication. These behaviors may reflect pain, infection, medication effects, loneliness, unmet emotional needs, overstimulation, or changes in the patient’s environment. This experience has reinforced my belief that nurses must look beyond the presenting symptom and seek to understand what the patient may be attempting to communicate.
The four nursing domains provide an organizing structure for my personal philosophy. I view the person as a unique and multidimensional individual whose values, preferences, culture, family relationships, and life experiences should guide care. The person is not simply a diagnosis, medical record number, or room number. In dementia care, for instance, the person remains deserving of dignity, patience, and individualized communication even when cognitive impairment limits the ability to express needs.
I define the environment as all the physical, social, economic, cultural, and institutional conditions affecting the person. These conditions may include housing, family support, transportation, access to nutritious food, education, community resources, employment, health insurance, and access to care. Healthy People 2030 organizes the social determinants of health into five domains: economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion [ODPHP] , n.d.). Therefore, an effective nursing plan must be realistic within the patient’s environment.
I view health as a dynamic state rather than simply the absence of disease. Health includes physical stability, emotional well-being, functional ability, safety, purpose, and the capacity to achieve the best possible quality of life. For a patient with several chronic conditions, health may mean controlling symptoms and maintaining independence rather than achieving a cure. For a person experiencing depression, improved health may begin with feeling heard, remaining safe, sleeping better, and gradually reengaging in meaningful daily activities.
I believe nursing is the professional application of clinical knowledge, ethical judgment, compassion, advocacy, education, and leadership. Nursing requires partnership rather than control. Patients should receive understandable information and participate in decisions about their care whenever possible. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2021) emphasizes that nurses have an essential role in addressing health inequities because they work at the intersection of health care, families, and communities. Similarly, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2021) identifies population health, health equity, interprofessional partnerships, and systems-based practice as essential competencies for advanced nursing education.
My goals for expanding my awareness beyond my current practice include implementing consistent SDOH screening, strengthening referral relationships with community organizations, examining practice-level data for disparities, and increasing my knowledge of local and national health policy. For example, I plan to evaluate whether patients experiencing transportation problems, food insecurity, unstable housing, or difficulty paying for medications receive appropriate referrals and follow-up. I also want to explore how telehealth can increase access while recognizing that some patients lack reliable internet service, digital literacy, appropriate technology, or a private location for appointments.
These goals align with Walden University’s mission of applying knowledge to address societal challenges and promote positive social change (Walden University, n.d.). Through my DNP education, I intend to move beyond helping one patient at a time by developing evidence-based quality-improvement initiatives that can strengthen outcomes for entire patient populations. My developing philosophy can therefore be summarized as follows: Nursing is a compassionate, evidence-based partnership that honors the whole person, recognizes the influence of the environment, supports each individual’s highest attainable level of health, and uses advocacy and leadership to create more accessible and equitable systems of care.
Referance
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2021). The essentials: Core competencies for professional nursing education . https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/Publications/Essentials-2021.pdf Links to an external site.
McEwen, M., & Wills, E. M. (2022). Theoretical basis for nursing (6th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2021). The future of nursing 2020–2030: Charting a path to achieve health equity . The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25982 Links to an external site.
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (n.d.). Social determinants of health . Healthy People 2030, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved September 2, 2026, from https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health Links to an external site.
Walden University. (n.d.). Mission, vision, and goals . https://academics.waldenu.edu/handbook/vision-goals Links to an external site.
NURS-8114 week 1 Philosophies of Nursing Practice discussion Sample 3
Personal Philosophy of Nursing Practice
My personal philosophy of nursing practice is grounded in the belief that nursing is both a scientific discipline and a human-centered profession that requires clinicians to recognize the individual, family, and community as active participants in health and healing. I view nursing as more than the treatment of disease or the completion of clinical tasks. Nursing requires the integration of evidence, clinical judgment, compassion, ethical responsibility, cultural awareness, and advocacy to promote the best possible outcomes for each person. Philosophical reflection allows nurses to examine what nursing means, how nursing knowledge is developed, and how that knowledge should guide practice (Sharifi-Heris & Bender, 2023). My philosophy has developed through professional experiences that have demonstrated the importance of treating patients as whole persons while simultaneously addressing the clinical, psychological, social, and environmental conditions that influence health.
Professional Experiences
My professional experiences in psychiatric mental health nursing have significantly shaped my philosophy of practice. Caring for individuals experiencing psychiatric crises and behavioral emergencies has shown me that effective nursing care requires more than identifying a diagnosis or administering medication. Patients experiencing mental health concerns may also encounter stigma, inadequate social support, limited access to treatment, housing instability, financial challenges, transportation barriers, and other circumstances that influence their ability to achieve and maintain health. Such experiences have strengthened my belief that nurses must assess the person within the context of the environment in which that person lives. The nursing metaparadigm recognizes person, environment, health, and nursing as interconnected domains that provide a foundation for nursing knowledge and practice (Johnson, 2022). Consequently, my professional philosophy emphasizes comprehensive assessment and individualized interventions rather than a narrowly disease-centered approach.
Clinical experiences have also demonstrated the importance of consistency in evidence-based practice. Variations in assessment, documentation, therapeutic interventions, and continuity of care can influence the quality and safety of mental health services. Those observations have reinforced my belief that advanced nursing practice must combine compassion with accountability and evidence. A DNP-prepared nurse should not simply recognize practice problems but should critically examine available evidence, identify gaps, evaluate outcomes, and participate in sustainable improvements in care. My philosophy therefore includes a commitment to lifelong learning and the continual evaluation of nursing practice.
Area of Interest and Expertise
Psychiatric mental health nursing is a major area of professional interest because mental health is inseparable from overall health. My experiences have strengthened my interest in improving the quality, accessibility, and continuity of behavioral health services. I am particularly interested in evidence-based psychiatric assessment, therapeutic interventions, patient education, prevention, and systems that promote continuity of mental health care. Effective nursing practice requires clinicians to recognize that individuals experiencing psychiatric symptoms remain whole persons with personal histories, relationships, values, strengths, and goals.
My philosophy also recognizes that the nurse’s role extends beyond the immediate clinical encounter. Advanced practice nurses have an opportunity to identify patterns in patient outcomes, examine barriers to care, collaborate with interdisciplinary professionals, and advocate for organizational changes that improve quality and equity. Nursing philosophy should support ongoing examination and adaptation of practice so that nursing knowledge remains relevant to contemporary healthcare needs (Sharifi-Heris & Bender, 2023). Accordingly, I intend to develop expertise that allows me to contribute not only to individual patient care but also to quality improvement, evidence-based practice, education, and healthcare systems that promote better outcomes.
Personal Beliefs About Nursing Practice
My personal beliefs about nursing practice are centered on respect for human dignity, individualized care, evidence-based decision-making, advocacy, and equity. I believe every person deserves to be treated with dignity regardless of diagnosis, socioeconomic status, culture, age, or other personal circumstances. Person-centered nursing requires genuine attention to the patient’s beliefs, values, preferences, and lived experiences rather than assuming that a standardized intervention will be equally appropriate for everyone. A philosophy of nursing therefore provides more than an abstract description of professional values because it influences how nurses understand patients and determine what constitutes appropriate care.
I also believe that nursing practice must address the relationship between health and environment. Social determinants of health can influence access to healthcare, health behaviors, exposure to risk, and health outcomes. Nurses are positioned to identify these conditions because they frequently interact with patients and families across healthcare settings. Wise et al. (2023) argue that advancing health equity requires nurses to move beyond traditional clinical responsibilities and actively address social determinants of health. My philosophy consequently includes screening for relevant social needs, connecting patients with appropriate resources, involving interdisciplinary partners, and advocating for systems that reduce barriers to care.
Expanding Awareness and Advancing Social Change
As a future DNP-prepared nurse, I intend to expand my awareness beyond the immediate clinical problems encountered in psychiatric practice. My goal is to develop a broader understanding of how socioeconomic conditions, healthcare policies, organizational practices, culture, technology, and other social determinants influence health outcomes. Expanding this awareness will allow me to recognize that disparities are not solely the result of individual choices but can also reflect structural barriers within communities and healthcare systems. Nurse-led approaches to social determinants of health can contribute to health equity through interventions that operate at individual, organizational, and population levels (Guilamo-Ramos et al., 2023).
Walden’s mission of positive social change aligns closely with my philosophy because I believe advanced nursing practice should produce benefits that extend beyond individual patient encounters. I intend to use DNP-level knowledge to identify healthcare problems, evaluate evidence, collaborate with stakeholders, implement evidence-based interventions, and measure whether those interventions actually improve outcomes. Within mental health practice, such work may involve identifying disparities in access to behavioral healthcare, examining gaps in continuity of care, improving evidence-based assessment and intervention processes, and advocating for vulnerable populations. Positive social change requires nurses to recognize inequities and participate in developing practical solutions rather than simply acknowledging that disparities exist.
Integration of the Four Nursing Domains
My philosophy can be understood through the four nursing metaparadigm domains of person, environment, health, and nursing. I view the person as a unique individual whose experiences, values, relationships, culture, and preferences should inform care. I view the environment as the physical, social, economic, cultural, organizational, and technological circumstances that influence health and access to care. I understand health as a dynamic state that includes physical, psychological, social, and functional well-being rather than merely the absence of disease. Finally, I view nursing as a professional discipline that integrates scientific knowledge, clinical judgment, compassion, advocacy, and evidence-based interventions to promote health and improve outcomes. Contemporary nursing scholarship continues to emphasize the interconnected nature of these domains while recognizing that the environment and broader healthcare context can substantially influence nursing practice (Johnson, 2022).
Ultimately, my personal philosophy of nursing practice is founded on the belief that excellent nursing requires caring for the whole person while addressing the conditions that shape health. My professional experiences in psychiatric mental health nursing have strengthened my commitment to evidence-based, person-centered, equitable care. As I progress toward DNP preparation, I intend to expand my perspective from individual clinical encounters to organizational and population-level concerns. Through scholarship, advocacy, quality improvement, and evidence-based practice, I hope to contribute to healthcare systems that improve outcomes, reduce disparities, and create meaningful and sustainable positive social change.
References
Guilamo-Ramos, V., Johnson, C., Thimm-Kaiser, M., & Benzekri, A. (2023). Nurse-led approaches to address social determinants of health and advance health equity: A new framework and its implications. Nursing Outlook, 71 (6), 101996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2023.101996 Links to an external site.
Johnson, E. (2022). Revisiting the nursing metaparadigm: Acknowledging technology as foundational to progressing nursing knowledge. Nursing Inquiry, 30 (1), e12502. https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12502 Links to an external site.
Sharifi-Heris, Z., & Bender, M. (2023). What constitutes philosophical activity in nursing? Toward a definition of nursing philosophy based on an interpretive synthesis of the recent literature. Nursing Inquiry, 30 (4), e12582. https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12582 Links to an external site.
Sharma, A., Arpanantikul, M., & Asdornwised, U. (2022). Nursing knowledge development from the standpoint of philosophical and methodological perspectives. International Journal of Nursing Education, 14 (3), 1- 6. https://doi.org/10.37506/ijone.v14i3.18343 Links to an external site.
Wise, J., Caiola, C., & Njie-Carr, V. (2023). A fundamental shift in nursing is a requisite for achieving health equity: The nurses’ role in addressing social determinants of health. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 34 (1), 125-131. https://doi.org/10.1097/JNC.0000000000000383 Links to an external site.
NURS-8114 week 1 Philosophies of Nursing Practice discussion Sample 4
My philosophy of nursing practice is based on the belief that nursing should treat the whole patient and not just the diagnosis. Nursing requires more than completing clinical tasks; it calls for critical thinking, ethical awareness, communication, advocacy, and respect for each patient’s dignity. Effective nursing means caring for the whole person, including the patient’s values, lived experience, environment, culture, and access to resources.
My experiences in acute care and home health have shown me that patients’ needs often extend beyond the medical problem that first brings them into care. In home health, for example, nurses see recovery in the patient’s environment. A patient recovering from a stroke may need support with medications, mobility, follow-up care, and daily activities, while also facing safety concerns, limited family support, transportation barriers, or difficulty paying for medications. These experiences have taught me that social determinants of health should be part of care planning from the beginning.
Communication and advocacy are central to my practice. Because nurses spend significant time with patients, they are often the first to notice changes in condition, confusion about treatment, or concerns that go unaddressed. Advocacy means speaking up for patients, helping them understand their options, supporting informed decisions, and ensuring their preferences are heard. Patients should be treated as active partners in their care, not simply as recipients of treatment.
My professional interests include acute care and nursing education, especially patient teaching during the transition from hospital to home. In acute care, nurses respond to immediate needs while preparing patients for safe discharge. A patient hospitalized with uncontrolled diabetes may need teaching about medications, blood glucose monitoring, symptoms of hypo- or hyperglycemia, nutrition, and follow-up care. Education must be realistic and consider whether the patient can afford medications, obtain supplies, access nutritious food, and understand instructions. Patient teaching is most effective when it improves health literacy, builds confidence, and reduces preventable complications.
I understand nursing expertise as more than technical skill. Clinical competence is essential, but strong practice also depends on critical thinking, ethical decision-making, communication, and the thoughtful use of evidence. Evidence-based practice integrates the best available evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values to improve quality of care and outcomes (Melnyk et al., 2014). This supports my belief that nurses should question routines, evaluate outcomes, and adjust care to meet individual needs.
A central part of my philosophy is that every patient deserves dignity, respect, and compassionate care regardless of socioeconomic status, cultural background, diagnosis, or personal circumstances. Nurses must approach patients without judgment and recognize that health behaviors and outcomes are shaped by social, environmental, structural, and individual factors.
Social determinants of health, including economic stability, education, healthcare access, neighborhood environment, and social support, have a major effect on outcomes (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion [ODPHP], n.d.). Teaching a patient about healthy food choices is not enough if affordable, nutritious food is unavailable. Discharge plans may also fail when transportation, housing instability, medication cost, or low health literacy create barriers. Holistic nursing means identifying these challenges and working with patients, families, healthcare teams, and community partners to create realistic plans.
Nursing also requires continuous learning and humility, as evidenced by the fact that technology, policy, and population needs change. My philosophy includes a commitment to ongoing education and a desire to understand health inequities. Walden University’s emphasis on positive social change aligns with my belief that nurses have a responsibility to address systemic factors that contribute to disparities. Strengthening my understanding of healthcare access, housing, education, transportation, food security, and social support will help me become a stronger advocate for equitable care.
Ultimately, I hope to practice nursing in a way that responds to illness while also addressing the broader conditions that influence health. By using evidence-based practice, advocating for patients, providing meaningful education, and considering social determinants of health, I can contribute to care that is effective, ethical, and responsive to patients’ real lives. My goal is to continue growing as a reflective nursing professional who supports better outcomes for individuals, families, and communities while advancing health equity and positive social change.
References
Melnyk, B. M., Gallagher-Ford, L., Long, L. E., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2014). The establishment of evidence-based practice competencies for practicing registered nurses and advanced practice nurses in real-world clinical settings: Proficiencies to improve healthcare quality, reliability, patient outcomes, and costs. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 11 (1), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12021
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (n.d.). Social determinants of health . U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health NURS-8114 week 1 Philosophies of Nursing Practice discussion
