Reflecting on my core values helped me see that I lead by a very holistic approach to nursing. The four core values that define me most are compassion, respect, trust, and professionalism.
While compassion is a core value of mine, empathy is an extension that interrelates with compassion. These are traits I believe are difficult to teach as they are aspects of someone’s personality. I lead a very compassionate and empathetic life because when treating patients or even helping my friends, I feel deeply for them and try to relate to their emotions so I can help them. I know that these core values will be a driving factor in my nursing care as I will try to understand what my patients are feeling so I can optimize the effectiveness of patient-centred care.
In nursing school and clinical settings, I hear a lot about respecting patients in a variety of ways; my main focus is respecting their autonomy and dignity. Performing patient care is one of the hardest things for patients to go through, as it strips away their dignity and independence. It is essential that during this action, the nurse needs to respect the individual and make them feel safe and cared for. I respect every person I come across in my life, the same thing applies to each patient, as they are people first, patients second.
My third core value is trust. To practice a therapeutic relationship with my patients, I must first establish trust so my patients can feel safe, heard, and cared for. Establishing trust does not just occur with my patients but is essential to nursing when the profession evolves around teamwork and communication. Having a trusting rapport with colleagues will be beneficial for everyone in the clinical setting, including patients, colleagues, and superiors. Ways I can build trust with my patients is by practicing each of my core values at the same time, leading a holistic nursing practice, and making sure all needs are met beyond expectations of care.
The last core value of discussion is professionalism. Although nursing is about relating and connecting to individuals when they are at their most vulnerable times, it is still highly regarded and taken seriously. Being a nurse is not just about making a patient laugh but it is taking on responsibility, attaining competency, and demonstrating confidence in the clinical setting. Leading by example in nursing is essential and can be done with a professional outlook. Being professional with patients and colleagues will encourage others to do so as well, strengthening other values in the area. Maintaining professionalism supports the view that nursing is an art and a science, it is about creating environments tailored to each individual’s recovery.