Running head: PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND CAREER ALIGNMENT

Professional Philosophy and Career Alignment

Jacie Frye
Arizona State University

PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND CAREER ALIGNMENT

Professional Philosophy and Career Alignment

Core Values
The core values and beliefs that I hold as a nurse encompass many aspects that are
fundamental in projecting a caring attitude toward each and every patient that I am involved
with. I believe that first and foremost I need to have a considerate and compassionate demeanor
and display true empathy towards the patients that I encounter. Whether a patient is poor,
homeless, psychotic, old or young matters not; everyone deserves a nurse who is non-judgmental
and will care for her patients with equal consideration. According to Norton et al. (2015) when
measuring outcomes, the focal point in the profession of nursing lies on preventing harm to
patients instead of on doing good. Norton et al. (2015) further relates that there is six core
nursing values every nurse should aspire to achieve; they are: compassion, caring, competency,
communication skills, commitment, and courageousness. I believe that it is also important to be
knowledgeable in the profession I am practicing so that my patients are in a safe care
environment.
Values and Beliefs
I make personal decisions on a daily basis by utilizing the values and beliefs that I hold. I
value honesty and integrity highly. Without these traits, I would not be able to operate in an
honorable way towards my patients, colleagues, or in my personal life. It is important to me to
be a reliable and dependable person who makes it to work on time and keeps promises. I attempt
to treat everyone in the way that I would like to be treated. When I am caring for patients, I
always look at them like they could be my mother, sister, or children. When you look at people
like they are indeed people, there is no room for a non-caring attitude.
Nursing as a Profession

PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND CAREER ALIGNMENT

I choose nursing as a profession because I have been a mother for 23 years, a foster care
provider, and am an adoptive mother. I like caring for individuals; therefore, nursing was a
natural progression for me to take. I am also very interested in the way the body works, and I
find it appealing to read articles and publications on various medical problems. I think that the
body was marvelously designed, and I thrive on attempting to understand its intricacies. The fact
that I can satisfy my desire to care for individuals while also being able to delve into the
problems their bodies are having makes nursing the perfect profession for me practice. Being a
nurse allows me to combine the interests I hold and utilize them to help others.
Nursing Today
Nursing school was tough, and it took me largely away from my family. I remember
thinking that if I could make it through nursing school, I would obtain a job and then have more
time for my family while practicing my profession. That has not occurred yet. I have acquired a
job, yet I am in training as well as working the floor and finishing my BSN. I believe that I am
busier than I was when I was in nursing school alone, but I know that soon enough life will level
off. I will have my profession and be able to spend adequate time with those whom I love. We
all just have to be patient. There are times when I want to give up, but giving up or quitting is
not an option for me. Just when I think that I must be a horrible mother because I do not have
the time I would like to spend with my children, they surprise me with words of praise. My
children are proud of my accomplishments. They have watched me labor fiercely to gain a
career in a noble field of work. I believe that I am still in nursing today because of, not despite
my family. They have been my champions; they have believed in me even when I was tired and
did not believe in myself.
Core and Focus of Nursing

PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND CAREER ALIGNMENT

I believe that the core and focus of nursing cannot be measured. Norton et al. (2015)
stated that it makes no difference that the core values and elements pertaining to nursing are not
measurable; although, they are observable from the behaviors we bring forth while caring for
patients. The way that I approach my patients determines whether or not they will have a good
experience in the hospital. When patients feel important and valued, they are more willing to be
cooperative, and I will be more able to care for them fully because there is a mutual respect
between nurse and patient. I am a newly graduated nurse. My skills and knowledge are
blooming but are yet to be perfected. Many patients I have cared for have been very considerate
and understanding of my lack of experience simply because I took the time to develop a
relationship with them that was based in mutual respect. I take a genuine interest in every patient
I care for, and more times than not, they turn around and take an interest in me. They dont
remember me because I was not perfect in my skills; they remember me because I cared.
My Vision as a Nurse
The vision I hold for myself as a nurse is to never loose my ability to care. I have been
around too many nurses who have lost the ability to care, and they go through the motions
without a single compassionate bone in their bodies. I am, as stated before, a newly graduated
nurse. I have been hired in the emergency department at Banner Desert Hospital, and there are
times when I think I must have been nuts to accept a position straight out of school in such a fastpaced environment. I often attempt to project myself into the future, and my vision is that I
become an accomplished nurse, proficient in the skills necessary to carry out the job, competent
with computerized charting, faster in accomplishing the tasks at hand while never loosing the
ability to retain a caring and compassionate demeanor.
Personal and Professional Philosophies

PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND CAREER ALIGNMENT

I believe that my personal and professional philosophies are congruent because I strive to
live my personal life in the same manner as my professional life. I always attempt to treat
people, wherever I am, with respect, dignity, and compassion. In my professional life, I do not
ever want to ever forget the time when I was new, scared, and felt that I would never reach a
point where I was no longer the new kid on the block. I strive to conduct myself in a humble
manner in both my professional life as well as my personal life. As I become a proficient nurse,
I hope to be able to become an understanding mentor toward another newly graduated nurse one
day who is struggling to become a learned and skillful nurse as well.
Philosophies in Everyday Practice
In order to daily live out the philosophies I hold to, I must remember that I am not perfect
and neither is anyone else for that matter. Everyone has good and bad days, so I need to be
forgiving when I am faced with a patient who is not feeling well and may not treat me in the
most kindness of ways. I do not have to take anything that a patient says or does personally
because when someone is not feeling well, they often do not have the capability to be anything
other than irritable and bad-tempered. Other nurses and colleagues I work with will also bring
forth times when they are not polite, and I may even be faced with co-workers who do not align
with my personality. It is important for me to find the best in people and attempt to get along
with those whom are not easy to be around. Killing people with kindness is my motto, and I will
exercise this to its fullest extend.
Important Contributions to Nursing
I believe that the most important contribution I bring forth currently in nursing is my
fresh eyes. I am new to the profession of nursing, so everything is fascinating and interesting to
me. I am not jaded by years of practice, nor am I facing burn out like many other nurses who

PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND CAREER ALIGNMENT

have practiced the profession for many years. I only hope that I can find a way to bottle my
enthusiasm so that it lasts a lifetime. I hope that as I grow and mature into the profession of
nursing, that I find each turn that I take exciting and fulfilling.
Future Goals in Nursing
My long-term goals as a nurse are to make lasting contributions to the practice by
becoming involved in my community at work through meetings and taking on a leadership role.
I would like to be a voice in positive changes made within my unit because I keep myself abreast
of the best current evidence-based practice models. I am also looking forward to becoming more
proficient and accomplished as I better develop my skills. I cannot wait to go to work without
confusion and fear that I will make a horrible mistake. I do not want nursing to become a rote
motion that I go through once I become a practiced nurse, but I do long for the feeling of having
an aptitude and confidence to carry out all of my duties. I realize that I have a long way to go,
but my long-term goal also encompasses the ability to strive everyday to become a better nurse.

PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND CAREER ALIGNMENT

References
Norton, C., Baillie, L., Tod, A., Deaton, C., Lowes, L., Carrick-Sen, D., & Robb,
E. (2015).

Measuring the impact of nurses and nursing: The core values.

British Journal

of

Nursing, 24(1), 58. doi: 10.12968/bjon.2015.24.1.58