Nursing+Theory+Assignment

Nursing Theory Assignment

Since becoming a nurse assistant in 1992 to the present writer has believed an individual person can make a positive difference in another person's life. This writer had not thought of the nursing profession until a family friend pointed out writer would make a good nurse because she was always trying to help others or "fix" someone. Since the world of health care came to writer's attention it has been a driving force for writer to try to make the lives of her patients somehow better. God commands us to love one another, writer does not take the commandment lightly. The truth in writer's belief has never been so evident as when writer worked Oncology at Baptist Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Writer and a co-worker were assisting an elderly female who was terminally ill with the replacement of a bag that is adhered around the anus to keep feces from the patient's skin. The patient was lying on her right side and the co-worker was busy removing the old bag and replacing it with a new one. This writer assumed the patient was in pain due to the fact her skin around the anus was angry red and excoriated from the constant running of loose stools. The writer began gently massaging the patient's back trying to take some of her discomfort away. After the procedure was finished the patient stopped the writer and informed her she had "the most healing touch". Writer thanked the patient and left her room. Something so simple made a difference to the patient. Yes, there is a vast array of clinical knowledge and skills which we all perform on a daily basis. Yet so many times it seems to be the simplest gestures that make the most difference to the patients and their families. Another assumption writer made about the patient and her situation was that she had little support as visitors were few and far between. This writer felt the patient needed to feel loved by someone. The writer's own values and beliefs are most in tune with Jean Watson's philosophy and science of caring theory. Her theory relates that caring is at the very core of nursing. In this theory it is the duty of the nurse to assist the patient in "attaining a higher degree of harmony" through personal relationships(Creasia, 2007). In the writer's own practice working restorative nursing in long term care it has been extremely important to develop a relationship with the patient. Battles are lost or won dependent on these interactive relationships.

Creasia, J. L., & Parker, B. J. (2007). Conceptual foundations: The bridge to professional nursing practice (4th ed., pp. 121-122). St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier.