Nursing Philosophy

When I went through the interview process, the common question of 'why did you want to become a nurse,' seemed to be recurring. My answer was simple, but long thought out. This might be surprising to hear since I spent a majority of my educational career studying, panicking, or crying to get to the point that I am today, a nurse. Interviewing for an emergency department position, my answer to my now nurse manager, was one of self-gratification. To be an ED nurse, you need to be cut throat, selfish, but caring and understanding simultaneously. The patients you see in the emergency department, you are seeing them are their worst day. You are being a detective, an advocator, as well as a therapist all in a short time span. Often times than not, we do not get to see our patients get better. We as nurses make them stable enough to get to the operation table, ICUs, or to the morgue. The ones that we do get to send home, we often do not see them again, and often left with a question of 'I wonder if they got better'. My personal philosophy encompasses all of these things. It may not be cut and dry like the ones of Nightingale and Watson, but is one that I am confident in.