My Nursing Philosophy
Ludmila Kalenichenko
University of Portland

I have had the good fortune in life to grow up in more than one culture. I was born in Ukraine and in 1997 I came to United State with all my family. Being embraced by this culture, has given me an ability to relate to people from many different backgrounds because I know what it feels like to recently arrive in what seems like a new world and have to find some common ground with the people around you quickly. But I have always had a clear idea of what I wanted to become in my future and this country gave me opportunity to go to college and get education. I am very thankful for this chance. Education has always been an incredibly rewarding and enjoyable experience for me. I always planned to attend college. I have always been excited about studying science, and medicine is the area which interests me most. The notion of helping others always pleases me, and field of medicine is the best for doing it. I want to become a nurse because of several good reasons. First of all I know myself to have a nature that desires to be of service to others I care about people and have always been inclined to relieve their suffering. I believe that by learning to become a good nurse, I would be able to do what I love the most, which is care for other people. It is my philosophy that nursing is a profession that plays a very important role in the provision of health care. Nurses spend a great amount of time with patients, doing rounds, listing their health status and taking direct care of patients. Moreover, aside from these routine procedures nurses play an important role in the recovery of patients, as nurses could help patients recover psychologically from their illnesses. I believe that nurses could take better care of patients if they would build and establish a strong, good, and healthy relationship with their patients. My philosophy of nursing has been influenced by many different theories. The theorist that greatly guides my way of practicing is Madeleine Leininger. According to Current Nursing (2010), Leininger believed that culture affected every aspect of human life, including health and illness (p.1). Leininger’s states that the meaning of care and caring vary among different cultures. Her view on nursing is one that can be used world-wide (Rosenbaum, 1986, p.414). I believe that Leininger’s concept of nursing can greatly help a nurse communicate with their patients efficiently. Health is when a client is able to live in the environment with no stress on their spiritual, physical, mental and social state. It is the highest level of well-being that a client can achieve at a given time. It is a state that causes the client the least amount of anxiety and worry. My definition of environment is any force, figure, or item that affects the individual and their heath. It consists of, but not limited to, people involved in the client’s life, their culture, the weather, their community, and the time. Nurses across the nation should take an active role in promoting health across the nation in working for the safety of all individuals. Not only do I feel as though it is important to focus on my community, but I also feel responsible for helping those who have limited healthcare access, especially those in underprivileged areas of the world.