This author's personal philosophy of nursing draws from a variety of sources to form a comprehensive whole. Feminist ethics, and the ethics of care which derives from it, encourages health care professionals to look at clients as whole people, who fit into a social framework, and who have stories to tell that are important to both the client and to their social community (Potter & Perry, 2009). This school of ethical thought encourages health care workers to recognize the validity of each of these stories – that people truly are individuals, and that their experiences, and thus the care that they receive, may rightfully be very different from the experiences of others with the same apparent medical condition. Put in plain terms, two patients admitted to an acute care facility with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), may need very different care, depending on their life experiences. These life experiences are the story that these patients are playing out. Ignoring the differences in these stories results in the provision of sub-par care that is not truly responsive to the needs of the individual patient.
[...] On a more positive note, this author is confident that his life experiences, nursing philosophy, knowledge, charisma, and honest enthusiasm for this type of work will help him to find the employment that he seeks. Despite the myriad challenges noted above, being a new RN seeking hospice employment may be a certain advantage, in terms of standing out from the crowd. Getting noticed is definitely a first step towards selling one's self. Being noticed for being a bit outside expected parameters is not a new experience for this author, and can work to one's advantage when one is able to build upon that notice with a conversation about why certain unique attributes make one perfect for the position in question. [...]
[...] This speaks to the component of the oft-referenced and science of nursing.” It has become obvious to this author that the proper care for a given patient cannot be determined without understanding the patient's perspective on her care, and her situation in life. Furthermore, Ms. Parse's work brings Role Transition Paper the concept of personal autonomy, an ethic long important to this author, clearly into nursing philosophy, in that the proper outcome for a given situation can only be adequately defined by the patient themselves. [...]
[...] Some of these challenges are likely common to any nursing school graduate seeking their first job, while others are perhaps more unique to one seeking employment in this particular field. In general, there is wide variety in the details of what a staff RN's practice involves, depending on where he works, as defined by the particular policies of each institution. For the new graduate, this is compounded further by the fact that nursing school clinical rotations generally take place in a Role Transition Paper 7 limited number of institutions, leaving students with little perspective on the details of what their job may involve once hired. [...]
[...] One ethical situation that may be more common in, although not unique to, hospice work involves providers giving doses of pain medication that may result in depressing a patient's respiration to a lethally low rate, or that may have other deleterious effects. While it is very important to use care to only dispense medications as they are ordered and indicated, and to use Role Transition Paper 9 caution when assessing for and preventing potential side effects, achieving effective pain control is also a priority. [...]
[...] Z.'s priority nursing diagnosis may be “risk for suicide.” While both of these patients need exactly the same thing to resolve their acute medical condition (fluid replacement, electrolyte monitoring/replacement, finger stick blood sugar q1Hr, and a titrated insulin drip), the true nursing care that they need is quite different. If we do not look at the comprehensive picture of the story of these patient's lives, we miss the largest part of what they need from us in terms of nursing care. [...]
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