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Personal Philosophy of Nursing The word philosophy is derived from the Greek and Latin word philosophia, the love of wisdom. It is defined as the “critical examination of the grounds for fundamental beliefs and an analysis of the basic concepts employed in the expression of such beliefs”. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2002) Nursing philosophy then, would be the examination of the fundamental beliefs about nursing practice. That it were so simple! It is the time consuming, soul-searching act of composing one’s personal thoughts, feelings, and knowledge, then committing them to practice. It is the summary of beliefs regarding what nursing is, what it aspires to be, and how those aspirations can be realized. It is a guide to learning and practice, and a measure of that practice. Rew (Kikuchi, 1994) asserts that nursing philosophy is a dynamic vision of who we are, “what and how we know; and of what we do within the discipline” (p. 20). A nursing philosophy explores several areas including the definitions of person and what it means to be human. It looks at the nature of nursing, the nurse-person relationship, and the focus of nursing. The focus and goals of the philosophy are stated, as well as the values that guide the practice of nursing. Finally, how this philosophical perspective influences research and scholarship. On the Nature of Being Human Person is defined as a single human being, a family, a community, a nation, a race, a culture, or all mankind. The person is a complex synthesis of their past experience and their expectations of the future. The person operates within a self defined, fluidly dynamic physiologic, psychological, sociocultural, developmental, and spiritual environment. A fluidly dynamic environment is one which is not static, but flows in and around the person affecting every aspect of life, including the physical, psychological, social, cultural, developmental and if one chooses, the spiritual aspects of life. The person interacts with this environment, and by their actions, changes it yet again. It is self-defined by the choices one makes to change the environment, for good or ill. For example, one may live in an environment that is not considered optimal and have little choice in what goes on there, nevertheless, one can still make choices that will affect and influence the environment and their well being. The person always has a choice. The person can always choose what environment they will create.
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