Nursing and Knowledge

Running head: NURSING AND KNOWLEDGE 1
Nursing and Knowledge
Name
Institution

NURSING AND KNOWLEDGE 2
Nursing and Knowledge
Definition of Nursing
Nursing is a highly specialized and constantly evolving profession that addresses the
needs of the society beyond compassion. Across the entire patient experience, nursing is an
indispensable practice in safeguarding public health from ensuring the most accurate diagnoses
to public education on the critical issues they are facing or are likely to face. Nurses not only
care for the physical aspects of the public health but also spiritual and emotional needs.
According to Scott (2017), nursing as a practice has ethical qualities at its core that help touch
people’s lives at its peaks and troughs of human existence. Nursing incorporatesself-sufficient
and collective care of people, families, and societies in all settings by preventing illnesses,
promoting health and a safe environment, shaping the health policies, conducting research to
come up with better ways of practice as well as advocacy. Nursing is of international importance
since it provides safe and kind healthcare and services to all population (Scott, Matthews, &
Kirwan, 2014). In my opinion, nursing is a service in which competent provision emotional,
physical, spiritual, mental and behavioral care which are necessary for maintaining and restoring
health of people from all populations is offered. In essence, nurses combine the work of other
healthcare professionals when caring for their patients.
Primary Goal of Nursing
Nursing is an integral part of the healthcare system which consists of personal,
interpersonal and social interacting systems. From keeping records and taking vital signs to assist
during diagnostic testing and educating patients, nurses work in different medical settings so as
to help restore the health of a given population. In my own opinion, the primary goal of nursing

NURSING AND KNOWLEDGE 3
is therefore to care for human beings. By utilizing the nursing theories that guide their own
beliefs as well as the nursing standards stated by the accreditation nursing organizations, nurses
ensure optimal care of patients through objective, systematic monitoring, and criteria-based
evaluations. Johnson and Webber (2015) argue that nurses incorporate the components of
knowledge, skills, values, implications and encounters in their nursing practice so as to ensure
they provide comprehensive care that puts into consideration the patient’s beliefs, cultural and
emotional needs. All these components is for the purpose of providing hands-on care so as to
ensure they meet their main objective and mission. It is also important to note that Florence
Nightingale’s mission statement for nursing clearly defines the primary goal of nursing
(Nightingale Initiative for Global Health, 2016).
Key Values Embedded in My Nursing Philosophy
To provide safe and competent nursing care, nurses should have the ability to think, feel,
perceive, choose, set goals and select the means to achieve the goals. This involves different
values embedded which commits to being professional, competent and compassionate so as to
provide the best care to every individual. One of the key values embedded in my nursing
philosophy is caring. The caring culture is an important part of the nursing practice as it
describes the concern and consideration for the individual, obligation to common goal as well as
the outreach to those who are vulnerable. Caring is key value in nursing because it ensures that
all healthcare organization’s exercises are overseen in a participative and individual focused way
subsequently showing a capacity to comprehend the necessities of various individuals and
focusing on dependably act to the greatest advantage of the considerable number of partners
(Burkhardt, Nathaniel, & Walton, 2014). Integrity is another key value embedded in my nursing
philosophy. This is because integrity enables nurses to embrace and demonstrate the principles of