PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING
According to the article, please explain what philosophy is?
Different philosophers have come up with different views on what philosophy is. All of the opinions are contradictory to one another, but they all have a basis on which they argue. All of the theorists try to show that philosophy is unverified thoughts about various life occurrences and influence daily life. For instance, Simmons (1992) defined it as the knowledge of first causes or the highest principles of things so far as these causes or items belong to nature instead of the supernatural order. Plato(1955) argued the existence of other worlds of form beyond the natural world. Also, Descartes(1970) discusses the presence of a spiritual mind-staff. Philosophy is a set of unreviewed assumptions that influence attitudes and practices (Schrock 1981a). In Schrock’s view, philosophy does not involve the suggestion of any claims, but philosophy can be defined in its methods and problems. Philosophy cannot be associated with any particular discipline because people can apply it in all disciples.
Please explain why philosophy is essential to nursing.
Philosophy empowers nurses to push health care conversations’ boundaries to re-consider ethical nursing principles and nurses’ role within health care today(hrpub.org). It is true that as a nurse, knowing their philosophy as humanity, it gives them the power in their practice because they can argue more powerfully for their patient-centered care. According to Bruce 2014, philosophy encompasses nursing values and enacts the values in the nursing world. Pesut & Johnson( 2013 )think that philosophy is just nurses’ business and that philosophy is inevitable in nursing. Philosophy is fundamental because it helps keep nurses on track and practice what they believe is right in the course. Philosophy is the epitome of ethics in nursing. Nurses can deal with various ethical issues with the use of philosophical knowledge. Philosophy acts as a mediator between science and society; it explains to the community some of the scientific practices that are not entirely accepted by society to understand and accept them more.
Please discuss how philosophy applies to nursing.
Nurses use philosophy to analyze, critique, challenge, and debate clinical situations that jeopardize patient well-being and ethical nursing practice. Philosophy prepares nurses to act as moral agents in practice( McCurry et al.) It is through a philosophy that nurses raise awareness about what they stand for in their careers. It helps nurses think critically about their values and how important they are to human life, therefore improving their handling of humans. Philosophy enables nurses to tap into non-scientific questions that may be important to the discipline of nursing. ( Bruce et al. ). Philosophy is used in nursing to explain different components such as those critical to the practice(Salberry, (1994). Philosophy defines moral values and beliefs and how nurses should observe them in the nursing practice. Nursing is a discipline that has always been highly moderated, and it is philosophy that defines what is to be done and what is not supposed to be done. Since nursing is more inclined to saving and preserving life, philosophy draws the line beyond which no compromise is taken hence preserving more lives.
Work cited
Ann Bruce, Lori Rietze, & Angela Lim. ( 2014). Understanding philosophy in a nurse’s World, University of Victoria, Canada
Descarte R. (1970) Philosophical writings, Geach P.T & Anscombe E. (eds), Open University Press, Hong Kong.
M.K McCurry, S.M. H. Revell, C Roy. (2010)Knowledge for the good of the individual and society: Linking philosophy, disciplinary goals, theory and practice, Nursing Philosophy, Vol. 11, No. 1.42-52.
Salsberry P.J. (1994) A philosophy of nursing: what is it? What is It not? in Kikuchi J.F. & Simmons H. (eds), Developing a Philos ophy of nursing, Sage, London, pp. 9–225/
Schrock R.(1981b) Philosophical perspectives, in Nursing science in nursing practice, Smith J.P. (ed), Butterworths
Plato, (1955) The Republic, Lee D. (ed), Penguin, Harmondsworth.
