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Metaparadigm Concepts: Personal Philosophy

Weekly Objectives 1 and 2 will be addressed in this discussion.

In order to post to this forum, first complete the Week 2 readings and presentations. 

Instructions:

Consider the 4 metaparadigm concepts: nursing, person, environment, and health. Select one and articulate your own beliefs, assumptions, and values related to that concept. Describe a personal experience from clinical practice that demonstrates and reflects the beliefs, assumptions, and values you identified. This is your own, personal philosophy; no references should be used. The table below is provided to serve as an instructional guide for this assignment. You should include the following:

• Identify one metaparadigm concept from the following: nursing, health, person, or environment.
• Articulate your personal beliefs: (1) definitions and descriptions; (2) assumptions; and (3) values related to your selected concept.
• Describe a detailed interaction between you and a client or family that depicts the beliefs, assumptions, and values related to your selected concept.

*Philosophical Statement Instruction Guide

Note: The questions below are designed to help get ideas flowing and are not the only focus of your statement.

Nursing (i.e., nursing actions)

• What is your definition of nursing?
• Is the metaparadigm concept nursing an art, a science, or both? Is it a process or a product (set of tasks)?
• What is nursing mainly (e.g., caring, therapeutic healing, building relationships)?
• What is the role reflected in nursing (e.g., doing for, being with [being present with], working with)?
• Where do ethics fit in?
• Who or what is the object of nursing’s concern?

Health

• What is your definition of health (e.g., includes absence of disease, ability to perform social roles)?
• Is health on a continuum?
• Can clients have a chronic illness and still be termed healthy in your definition of health?
• What if the client’s view of health and your view of health are different?

Person

• What is your definition of person (e.g., set of behavioral systems, biopsychosocial and spiritual being, energy field)?
• Who is the person being nursed (e.g., client, family, community)?

Environment

• What is it? Where is it found?
• Are there different components to environment (e.g., emotional, spiritual, social, cultural, mainly physical)?
• Is environment separate from person?
• What is the nurse’s role in terms of environment?
• Are there internal and external environments, or is what is internal to a person part of the person?

Description and Examples

This whole philosophical statement is a statement of “beliefs.” However, for the purpose of teasing out and articulating your beliefs, they are divided into three types: definitions and description, assumptions, and values. Each of these should be written in separate paragraphs to ensure clarity and comprehensiveness.

Definitions and Description: This should be a succinct definition (one or two sentences), followed by a broader description. For example, if part of your definition of person was the person is a biopsychosocial and spiritual being, then each of the component parts (e.g., spiritual being) would be described more fully.

Assumptions: A given, something that you take for granted that it is true. Examples are: Humans are rational beings. Individuals desire to work collaboratively with their nurses.

Values: Something you consider good (i.e., desirable, worthy, or of esteem). Examples are: All persons are of value and are worthy of respect. Clients should be treated with dignity. Confidentiality and privacy are essential throughout all interactions with clients. Persons should be given choice in their treatment regimens.

*adapted from Table 1 in Hernandez, C. A. (2009). Student articulation of a nursing philosophical statement: An assignment to enhance critical thinking skills and promote learning. Journal of Nursing Education, 48(6), 343-349.

POST 1

Nursing can be described as a plethora of ideas and concepts. Aside from the knowledge of basic and applied science, nursing also embodies many characteristics such as compassion and empathy. Nursing is very complex, and formats such as a metaparadigm, can help formulate these ideas and thoughts in an umbrella fashion. The ongoing debate on whether nursing can be a metaparadigm or not is a very interesting one, as there seems to be continued proposals and changes in order to embrace this concept.

My basic definition of nursing is the caring of another being. On a broader level, nursing applies knowledge of a human science along with a tender touch called compassion. As a nurse, you truly do for, be with, and work with patients each day. We contribute to healing and can leave lasting impressions on not only the patient, but on family members as well.

While looking further into nursing assumptions, one that I deeply identify with is, the assumption that nurses and patients directly influence one another. Actions of the patient directly affect the nurse and the actions of the nurse directly affect the patient. Sometimes, caring for a patient can become a routine, and this is not always a good thing. Positive interactions are important and can be influential, and in contrast, negative interactions can deeply affect both the nurse and patient.

Lastly, values are an extremely important aspect of nursing. Treating patients with dignity and respect are on the forefront of my daily goals. Another important value is allowing patients to have a choice in their treatments and the freedom to make their own decisions regardless of outside influences. Although I do not agree, in healthcare, we too often see frustrated patients who feel overwhelmed and powerless to make their own decisions; and this is very sad.

As I mentioned before, I was a patient care technician on an oncology/hospice unit for five years. It was during this time that I truly learned what compassion and empathy is, as dealing with death is complex and sometimes difficult to bear. I am grateful for these experiences because they have directly influenced my mindset as a nurse. A few months ago, I was taking care of a patient who was rapidly declining, and she became nonverbal within days. Her husband was always at the bedside as all their children lived out of state. Although I was almost always busy, I tried to make small talk with him because as nurses, we see the pain that he’s feeling. She still had a full code in place, and I could begin to feel the concern from the doctors, as they were running out of treatment options.

In a conversation with her husband, he stated that she once told him she did not want ongoing life measures like this, but he was overwhelmed with making this decision alone. It was in this moment that I asked for permission to consult social work, as they can help him formulate a decisional plan. In days’ time, she went from a full code to a DNR, and hospice was put into place. Aside from his conversations with social work, hospice team and physicians; I continued to have daily conversations with him not only about her but about himself as well. As a nurse, I felt like I had two patients in that room, and I carried that weight on my shoulders until she peacefully passed. I continued to care for her keeping her comfortable and clean, while providing her husband with endless emotional support.

This experience directly correlates to my definition of what nursing is, my assumption of the relationship of nurse and patient, as well as the values that I hold near and dear to my heart. Although you never want to lose a patient, I felt a duty to fulfill her wishes and support a death with dignity as well as provide endless support to another being. Metaparadigms offer a deeper understanding on what nursing truly is.

POST 2

To me health isn’t necessarily defined as the absence of disease because one could very well be dealing with an illness but still be a healthy individual. I think health is different to everyone, I see it as being abundant in what you need in order to survive or being in a state that allows you to feel good physically, mentally and/or socially. With that being said everyone can be labeled as healthy because the term is relative. For example, a couple years ago my uncle lost his leg in a motorcycle accident, at the time he probably considered himself to be physically unhealthy, he was dealing with pain and body dysmorphia which made it harder on him to feel ok, in turn making him mentally unhealthy. Although all those negatives were surrounding him, he was still healthy in some ways, he didn’t lose his life in the accident just his leg and was able to still move around in a wheelchair and soon after with his prosthetic making him move to the better side of the health continuum. He also had support all around him to help his transition be smoother which allowed for his mental health to improve as well.

I do believe health is on a continuum and the range would be from severe illness/close to death to no illness at all. Even when someone is so sick that they can’t get out of bed they can still have part of them that’re healthy such as their mental state. They could be suffering like no other, but still be sharing happy thoughts and good advice and making other people laugh. Of course the way they are might be a coping mechanism, but to a certain extent that part of them is still healthy.

Some values that can help promote health include positivity, support, balance, and happiness in one’s life. Positivity/happiness are included because they might be one of the main reasons as to why people are healthy. These two values serve as a motivation for the person to want to continue striving for good health, if you feel good, you’ll continue doing the things that make you feel good. Having support around you will increase your healthiness as well because you won’t feel as alone, and you might receive guidance along the way. Balance promotes health as well because you can’t have too much of one thing, even too much exercise can be detrimental to someone, so it is important for individuals to seek balance in all