Philosophy & Academic Papers Written as Part of the MSN-FNP Program — SFASU DeWitt School of Nursing
My Nursing Philosophy
Anisha Khadka Karki, RN, BSN — MSN-FNP Candidate — SFASU DeWitt School of Nursing
Personal Philosophy
My Nursing Philosophy
Course: NURS 5670: MSN FNP Capstone
Institution: DeWitt School of Nursing, Stephen F. Austin State University
Instructor: Dr. Erin Bailey
Date: March 27, 2026
I chose to pursue my nursing career because I am passionate about caring for people who are ill
and providing better care. In this personal nursing philosophy paper, I focus on four nursing
concepts: people, nursing, health, and environment — and how providing holistic,
high-quality, compassionate care to patients while integrating evidence-based research and
knowledge constitutes good nursing care. When delivering care, it is important to practice
compassion and respect for every person's inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes
(American Nurses Association, 2015).
People
What I consider nursing is providing compassionate, quality care to all patients, regardless of
their background, race, color, sex, language, religion, politics, property, birth, or other factors —
and this is essentially the golden rule of nursing (United Nations, n.d.). Everyone should be treated
equally, without economic, political, social, religious, or any other form of discrimination. As the
golden rule states, one should treat others as they would want to be treated. As nurses, we must
offer compassionate care to those in need. I always abide by this principle, respect patients as
people, and be mindful of them while providing quality care. I involve them in planning their
healthcare to the extent possible. When delivering care, it is crucial to set aside prejudices and
provide compassionate care to all patients, regardless of their disabilities or disease stigma
(American Nurses Association, 2015). As an advanced nursing professional, I would always abide
by this nursing concept of people.
Nursing
Nursing is an important concept we must prioritize when caring for patients. We need to provide
advanced practice nursing and evidence-based care to our patients by involving them in patient care
planning. We need to focus on both the physical and mental well-being of our patients and engage in
a therapeutic relationship with them (Linton & Koonmen, 2020). Delivering evidence-based care
to patients to improve healthcare quality and patient outcomes will be my priority. It is our duty
to provide safe and high-quality patient care.
Health
Health is an important concept that focuses on physical health and comprehensive wellness, including
emotional and social well-being. Watson's theory of human caring, which emphasizes self-care,
emphasizes that nursing involves facilitating therapeutic healing processes and nurturing
relationships beyond the scope of nursing practice, including tasks, procedures, treatments, and
technology (Leone-Sheehan, 2022). We should empower our patients to understand the importance of
self-care and involve them in their care plans. This helps patients meet their basic needs and
receive emotional support, fostering a harmonious nurse-patient relationship (Leone-Sheehan, 2022).
Environment
The environment — the surroundings around care — plays a significant role in the nursing concept.
It influences health, recovery, and access to healthcare and impacts the physical, economic, social,
and cultural conditions that an individual faces (Nevada State University, 2024). It is essential
to create a safe environment for patients and ensure they have a supportive and safe home
environment, as well as access to healthcare services. Additionally, as healthcare providers,
we need to ensure that patients have someone to assist them in emergencies.
Conclusion
My nursing philosophy is caring for people with dignity and respect. As an advanced nurse
practitioner, I will apply evidence-based practice to provide holistic care and create an open
environment for my patients and workforce. I will contribute to my advanced nurse practice by
engaging in lifelong learning, staying current with evidence-based guidelines, and integrating best
practices into patient care. I will apply all nursing concepts, as well as evidence-based and
patient-centered care, to my patients while treating them. In my advanced nursing practice, I will
be involved in the community through advocacy, community engagement, and volunteering. I will
mentor future nurses and collaborate with colleagues to strengthen teamwork, communication, and
professional growth. I will practice quality patient care and involve patients in decision-making,
resulting in better nursing and healthcare delivery. This will help to provide respectful and
compassionate care to my patients that promotes healing and supports well-being.
Leone-Sheehan, D. M. (2022). Jean Watson: Watson's philosophy and theory of transpersonal caring. In M. R. Alligood (Ed.), Nursing theorists and their works (10th ed., pp. 68–81). Elsevier.
"My nursing philosophy is caring for people with dignity and respect. As an advanced nurse
practitioner, I will apply evidence-based practice to provide holistic care and create an
open environment for my patients and workforce."
— Anisha Karki
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Theoretical Foundation
Watson's Human Caring TheoryANA Code of EthicsUN Human Rights FrameworkEvidence-Based PracticePatient-Centered Care
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Four Core Concepts
People — Dignity, equality, and compassion for every patient regardless of background.
Health — Physical, emotional, and social well-being through self-care empowerment.
Environment — Safe, supportive surroundings that enable recovery and access.
Earlier Course Paper
Compassionate Care: Essential Part of Nursing Philosophy
Course: NURS 5301 — Nursing Theory for the Advanced Practice Role
Institution: DeWitt School of Nursing, Stephen F. Austin State University
Instructor: Dr. Sara Bishop
Date: September 17, 2023
Nursing is a discipline that requires both compassionate care and technical expertise
to enhance patient well-being for superior health outcomes. This paper explores the
critical role of evidence-based practice, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking
in improving patient outcomes and providing high-quality care. My nursing philosophy
revolves around providing compassionate care to the ill — an ever-evolving discipline
that requires a foundation in theory and theory-based evidence to provide evidence-based
practice to patients for high-quality care and improved outcomes (Pokorny, 2021, pp. 12–27).
Personal Philosophy of Nursing
As a nurse, my top priority is to provide exceptional patient care and advocate for
patients through problem-solving skills and critical thinking. As Virginia Henderson
(1966) stated, "the unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or
well, in performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to
peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or
knowledge and to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as
possible" (p. 63). My philosophy revolves around delivering compassionate care to those
unwell.
Basis for Personal Philosophy
Abdellah (2004), in her book Patient-Centered Approaches to Nursing, emphasizes
problem-solving skills to identify nursing problems to move the patient toward a healthy
outcome, formulating 21 nursing problems based on a review of nursing research studies.
Her problem-centered approach to diagnosing patient issues is essential for delivering
evidence-based, high-quality care and improving patient outcomes.
Relation to Patterns of Knowing and the Structure of Nursing Knowledge
Carper (1978), in Fundamental Patterns of Knowing in Nursing, identified four
patterns of knowing — empirical, ethical, personal, and aesthetic. In her empirical pattern,
she describes caring for another as requiring the achievements of nursing science, knowledge
of empirical facts systematically organized into theoretical explanations regarding health
and illness, and the importance of critical thinking for alternative moral choices (Carper,
1978, p. 14).
Nursing is an art of science, and caring for patients for a better outcome requires
evidence-based care where nurses care for patients with validated and scientifically proven
methodologies. It takes critical thinking to find innovative and alternative solutions for
moral and health choices. Carper (1978) suggested that the better a nurse is at understanding
and empathizing with others, the more choices they will have to plan and give nursing care,
and they will be better at critical thinking — essential for making complex and difficult
decisions (p. 22).
Conclusion
Nursing is the art of providing compassionate care to patients. We can improve patient
outcomes and provide high-quality care by prioritizing evidence-based practice derived
from theory-based evidence. Furthermore, problem-solving skills and critical thinking
are crucial in addressing the complex challenges in healthcare.
References
Abdellah, F. G., Martin, A., Beland, I. L., & Matheney, R. V. (1960). Patient-centered approaches to nursing. Macmillan.
Henderson, V. A. (1991). The nature of nursing: A definition and its implications, practice, research, and education: Reflections after 25 years. National League for Nursing Press.
Pokorny, M. E. (2021). Nursing theorists of historical significance. In M. R. Alligood (Ed.), Nursing theorists and their work (10th ed., pp. 12–27). Elsevier.