Central Concepts of Nursing’s, Human Being and Nursing School Philosophy In Nursing Education

Philosophy In Nursing Education About Central Concepts of Nursing’s, Human Being and Nursing School

Central Concepts in a School of Nursing’s Philosophy In Nursing Education, Philosophical View of Human Being In Nursing Education By Nursing Students and Faculty, Philosophical View of Nursing School In Nursing Education By Nursing Students and Faculty.

Central Concepts in a School of Nursing’s Philosophy In Nursing Education

    Several central concepts are typically contained within a nursing school’s statement of philosophy about which faculty communicate their beliefs and values. These concepts include beliefs about human beings, the societal or environmental context in which humans live and act, health, and nursing.

    Faculty may also add additional concepts about phenomena they hold to be particularly meaningful to the learning environment they are creating within their programs. 

    In preparing or revising the school of nursing’s statement of philosophy, faculty must articulate their beliefs and values about human beings, including the individual patients for whom nurses care, patients’ families, the communities in which patients live and work, students, and fellow nurses and faculty. 

    It is inconsistent to express a belief that patients and families want to be involved in making decisions that affect them and then never give students an opportunity to make decisions that will affect them. 

    Likewise, it is admirable to talk about respecting others, treating others with dignity, and valuing differences among people, but when faculty then treat one another in disrespectful ways or insist that everyone teach in the same way and do exactly the same thing, the validity of those expressed values must be questioned. 

Philosophical View of Human Being In Nursing Education By Nursing Students and Faculty

    Consider the following statements about human beings that might be expressed in a school’s philosophy, keeping in mind that human beings refers to students, faculty, and administrators, as well as patients:

 • Human beings are unique, complex, holistic individuals.

 • Human beings have the inherent capacity for rational thinking, self actualization, and growth throughout the life cycle.

 • Human beings engage in deliberate action to achieve goals.

 • Human beings want and have the right to be involved in making decisions that affect their lives.

 • All human beings have strengths as well as weaknesses, and they often need support and guidance to capitalize on those strengths or to overcome or manage those weaknesses or limitations.

 • All human beings are to be respected and valued. Faculty also need to reflect on their beliefs and values related to society and environment, their effect on human beings, and the ways in which individuals and groups can influence their environments and society.

Philosophical View of Nursing School In Nursing Education By Nursing Students and Faculty

The following statements may be ones to consider as faculty write or refine the philosophy of their school of nursing:

 • Human beings interact in families, groups, and communities in an interdependent manner.

 • Individuals, families, and communities reflect unique and diverse cultural, ethnic, experiential, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

 • Human beings determine societal goals, values, and ethical systems.

 • Society has responsibility for providing environments conducive to maximizing the health and well being of its members.

 • Although human beings often must adapt to their environments, the environment also adapts to them in reciprocal ways. Because the goal of nursing is to promote health and well being, faculty must consider the values and beliefs they hold about health. For example, the following statements express values and beliefs about health that a faculty might consider:

 • Health connotes a sense of wholeness or integrity.

 • Health is a goal to be attained.

 • Health is the energy that sustains life, allows an individual to participate in a variety of human experiences, and supports one’s ability to set and meet life goals.

 • Health is a dynamic, complex state of being that human beings use as a resource to achieve their life goals; it is therefore a means to an end rather than an end in itself.

 • Health can be promoted, maintained, or regained.

 • Health is a right more than a privilege.

 • All human beings must have access to quality health care. Finally, it is critical for faculty to discuss their beliefs about nurses and nursing because this is the essence of our programs. In doing so, it may be important to reflect on the current and evolving roles of the nurse, the purpose of nursing, the ways in which nurses practice in collaboration with other health care professionals, and how one’s identity as a nurse evolves. The following statements may stimulate thinking about beliefs and values related to nurses and nursing: • Nursing is a human interactive process.

 • The focus of nursing is to enhance human beings’ capacity to take deliberate action for themselves and their dependent others regarding goals for optimal wellness.

 • Nursing is a practice discipline that requires the deliberate use of specialized techniques and a broad range of scientific knowledge to design, deliver, coordinate, and manage care for complex individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations.

 • Nurses are scholars who practice with scientific competence, intellectual maturity, and humanistic concern for others.

 • The formation of one’s identity as a nurse requires deep self reflection, feedback from others, and a commitment to lifelong learning.

 • Nurses must be educated at the university level.

 • Nurses must be prepared to provide leadership within their practice settings and for the profession as a whole.

 • Nurses collaborate with patients and other professionals as equal yet unique members of the health care team.

 • Nurses are accountable for their own practice.