Personal philosophies – or individual guiding principles – help people live by the standards they have set for themselves. In nursing, a personal philosophy is essential to helping with interactions with patients, families and other providers. Personal nursing philosophies can help guide competent, ethical and science-driven practice. Nurse educators can help students draft personal nursing philosophies to guide their work. American Nurse, the official journal of the American Nurses Association, said that a nursing philosophy also helps identify the theories and beliefs for everyday choices. “Your philosophy of nursing captures your intrinsic beliefs and goals within the nursing profession. Defining your philosophy provides you with a deeper connection to those beliefs. It can help shape you as a nurse and provide direction for which skills and specialties you want to focus on strengthening. Your philosophy will play a role in every nursing job you have,” author Lydia Kim said in “What is a philosophy of nursing.” Registered nurses (RNs) who are pursuing an MSN degree, including through an online master’s in nursing program, to become nurse educators need to understand the importance of developing a personal nursing philosophy. In some instances, writing a nursing philosophy is part of an MSN curriculum. In other cases, nurse educators must guide their students through the critical process.

Importance of Developing a Personal Nursing Philosophy

Each person enters nursing school with predetermined beliefs. These beliefs impact individual actions, reactions and decisions. A nursing philosophy is deeply rooted in beliefs and values. “Nursing philosophy is based on the what, why and how of nursing, as it applies to you in alignment with your own beliefs and values around nursing practice. You don’t just have to go along with what you feel you should say or what others expect you to feel. This must come from true feelings and values from the heart,” the healthcare recruitment firm Nursco wrote in “Nursing Philosophy – Why Do We Do It?” A nursing philosophy is also deeply ingrained in a nurse’s character and changes through the course of a career. What bachelor’s-level nursing students write as their philosophies will be different than what master’s-level students will write. A personal nursing philosophy shows that nurses are considerate of patient dignity and ongoing care. Nursing schools value personal nursing philosophies, and they often require nursing students to write them. However, writing a philosophy can be challenging because some students tend to write what they think the instructor wants rather than what’s in their hearts