Nurses have a special place in the medical community because their qualifications and personal qualities determine the success of treatment and the patient’s quality of life during their recovery and the actual recovery process. A professional nurse needs to know a lot: the legal framework for health care, job responsibilities, rules of procedure, principles of medical ethics, and activity standards. My philosophy of nursing is respect for the life, dignity, and rights of the patient. Nursing is not focused on the disease but the person. The nurse meets the patient’s mental, spiritual, social, and physical needs as a person, not just their diagnosis. Nursing is the art of caring for a patient during illness and helping them reach their full potential for health throughout their lives.
When starting to work with each patient, the nurse must consider many social, physical, and physiological factors, such as nationality and religion, social status, and level of education. It is also essential to consider the patient’s level of awareness of their health, intelligence, and physical activity, their willingness to cooperate with the nurse, or, conversely, complete rejection of the diagnosis and situation. A sick person is often very mentally vulnerable. That is why communication with her/him is a responsible matter and requires particular personal qualities from the nurse.
An important psychological factor in establishing relationships with the patient and their family is encouraging, showing that you understand their feelings, and inspiring hope for victory over the disease. It is important to remember that the relatives of an incurable or chronically ill patient know enough about the condition. This allows you to build relationships with them on the principles of partnership and open dialogue. In the case of chronic diseases, patients often turn to alternative medicine.
Even in the case of a negative attitude to these treatment methods, the nurse should listen carefully to such a patient and only then correctly and reasonably state the position. Nurses should not criticize or ridicule a person, but they should disagree with false, often harmful statements to please the interlocutor. Thus, respect and understanding are some of the essential elements on the road to recovery.
