Philosophical Statement
I am a strong believer of the values of professionalism, compassion, service, socialization, and persistence in whichever goal one is pursuing. My philosophy of nursing is that if I stick to the mentioned values alongside undying desire for lifelong learning then I will be able to make a huge impact in the life of many patients who I will happen to interact with within the course of my career and beyond. The characteristics will ensure I maintain the highest standards of ethical and moral standing while remaining committed to delivering quality services to the patients. I will also be able to be a strong member of the nursing profession and positively influence other aspiring nurses whether knowingly or unknowingly which will be for the greater good of the society as far as nursing is concerned. The characteristics I believe will help me be of service to all and sundry regardless of their religious affiliation, race, gender, age, origin, and ethnicity.
Theory Mind Map
Philosophical Statement, Mind Map and Peplau’s Theory
The relevant nursing theory is Hildegard Peplau’s interpersonal relation theory. The theory emphasizes the nurse-client relationship as the key foundation of the nursing practice. There is a need for both the nurse and the patient to actively participate in the nursing process as opposed to the passiveness of client receiving treatment and nurse acting based on the orders issued by the doctors (Peplau, 1992). From my philosophy, the aspect of socialization creates a conducive environment that helps reduce anxiety not just for the client but also the nurse. Through socialization, the interpersonal process is a therapeutic feeling created for parties involved allowing them to fully cooperate in delivering the health services in a seamless manner. Therefore, the socialization skills remaining remain fundamental tools in delivering quality nursing services.
Through persistence, one gets to acquire important knowledge about a phenomenon. In nursing as validated by Peplau’s theory, there is a need for nurses and patients to have mutual respect and socialize during the process allowing both to learn and grow through the shared knowledge and ideas in the course of their interaction. As a nurse, I stand to learn whenever I react to certain stimuli within the nursing environment, and there is a need to persistently do so in order to gather as much knowledge as possible for the greater benefit at personal and nursing profession as a whole.
Compassion and professionalism requires one to remain calm under different circumstances while ensuring the ultimate goals are achieved in an ethical way. The theory states that nurses need to help others in identifying their difficulties, and this is where nurses have to exploit their human relation skills such as socialization and compassion to help solve the problems at whichever level of experience. Through compassion and socialization, patients may open up and share sensitive information related to their privacy but equally important in delivering quality health services in regards to their underlying health condition.
In terms of differences, the theory demands for termination of the professional relationship during the last phase when the help has been offered. Socialization and presentence requires the need for a long-lasting relationship to aid in the lifelong learning process which I aspire to. Patient feedback is really important as it gives an assurance of a job well done while leaving an indelible mark on the patient, and this is a plus for professional development as it acts as a motivation.
Peplau’s theory identifies four phases in the course of nurse-patient interaction. The first phase is orientation, second is identification, third is exploitation phase, and fourth is resolution phase (Peplau, 1992). In the orientation phase, the nurse is expected to act from a stranger position to engage the client about the treatment, give detailed explanation and useful information, and promptly answer questions raised by the patient. It is at this stage at which the problem is defined, type of service is identified, preconceptions and expectations clarified, questions asked, and the nurse gives relevant responses as per the available services and resources. In this phase, the factors such as values, beliefs, preconceived ideas, expectations, and past experiences of both the nurse and the patient plays a significant role (Gonzalo, 2021).
The second phase is the identification. Through compassion, the client feels more open and willing to cooperate to an extent they work interdependently with the nurse, freely express their feelings, and are much assured of the quality of service the nurse is providing (Sills, 2022). The nurse selects the best professional assistance that suits the client at this phase. However, the patient exhibits a sense of belonging and develops hope in the nurse’s ability to offer solutions to their problem, this helps eradicate the feeling of helplessness.
The third phase, exploitation phase, entails the client making full use of the various services being offered. The nurse applies professionalism in trying to offer the best assistance for the problem at hand. The interests and needs of the patients are aligned with the service being offered to ensure they match. The patient develops a feeling of being an integral part of the treatment process, and the nurse goes ahead to exploit some attention-getting techniques. The nurse through professionalism is expected to help the patient explore all the available avenues of getting the much needed help as progress is being towards the final phase.
The last phase is the resolution phase. The client gives up on dependent behavior as they no longer require professional help. The existing relationship that was created at the beginning now comes to an end. The professional relationship is amicably terminated as the client’s needs have been met through the socialization or collaborative effect between the client and the nurse. At this stage, however, psychological dependence may persist and ending the relationship may be challenging but a necessary one (Hagerty et al., 2017). The patient ultimately has to drift away as the bond with the nurse is broken but a healthier emotional balance between the two continues (Sills, 2022).
In conclusion, my philosophical statement outlines the values of professionalism, compassion, persistence, socialization, and service as being integral for my success as a nurse. Peplau’s theory highlights the need for mutual bond between the nurse and the patient. To develop a bond, one needs the socialization skills to make one feel at ease before devoting themselves to offer the requisite service. The entire process of nurse-patient interaction needs all values at their full force so that in the end both parties leave satisfied having actively played their respective roles and aided in achieving the ultimate goal which is patient wellness.
Peplau’s Theory and Inpatient Psychiatry
The theory emphasizes the importance of interaction characterized by self-awareness and personal identity as key elements in influencing the end result during the interaction between the nurse and the patient. Peplau’s theory centers on inpatient psychiatry such that the nurse seeks to have full understanding of another individual’s behavior, and in the process apply the guiding principles of human relations based on the patient`s identified needs. The interpersonal theory allows the nurse to explore the psychological meanings of the events, behavior, and feelings portrayed by the patient and which are integral in providing the needed nursing intervention. Application of the theory helps device methods of teaching the psychiatric patients how to identify and express their ever-changing feelings.
The theory when applied in providing services to psychiatric patients occurs in four phases, which are, orientation, identification, exploitation, and resolution. In the orientation phase, the patient’s needs or problem is initiated and the long journey to giving the best assistance commences. The second and third phase, also termed as working phase, is very important for the much needed nurse-patient relationship as the relationship is strengthened and the patient fully understands their reaction to the psychiatric illness. At this stage, the patient has some understanding of their illness and concentrates on the areas the underlying health condition requires of them. At this point it may be very difficult for the psychiatric patients and it may take long for the patients to come to realize their health conditions compared to people from other forms of illness. The phase requires that patients be actively involved, not just being passive as vital instructions and advice are issued by the nurse.
Nurse and patient interaction becomes limited to individuals who are incapable of conversing and mostly those who are unconscious, a category to which psychiatric patients fall under. Getting this type of patients to fully express themselves in a solid manner is challenging thus every possible mechanism that will trigger them may be applied. Even in dealing with the patients during the working phase, the nurse needs to be keen on finer details and not miss any utterance, behavior, or expression of feeling by the psychiatric patients. Communication is important in providing the right diagnosis for the patients. The resolution or termination is when the patient has fully recovered and the closure happens. As a nurse helping the patient devise actions considered important in helping the patient to resume their normal productive life characterized by social activities and fulfilling relationships.
In the course of providing nursing services to the inpatient psychiatric patients, the nurse assumes the roles of a stranger, resource, surrogate, teacher, and counselor role. Stranger, the patient is treated in a courteous and acceptable way the same way any other patient would be. As a resource personnel specific answers are provided to questions from a larger context. The teacher role incorporates the helping hand extended to the patient whether from an informal or informal perspective. The surrogate role involves the nurse acting as a perfect substitute for a different individual which can be a sibling or parent to the patient. The surrogate role helps the nurse to offer the assistance to patients in identifying the similarities and differences between them based on dependency and independency levels. The counselor role is characterized by the nurse aiding the patient learn based on personal experiences and have a better understanding of the experiences.
Case Example
Patient T.M.T, 40 years of age arrives at the customer care desk accompanied by his brother at X hospital based on allegations of extreme violence towards most of his family members. Alo along, the patient was of sound health up until their arrival at the hospital followed by an admission. The patient has been abusing hard drugs and related substances for the last fifteen years which began shortly after his father passed on. T.M.T has no previous medical history, performed well in school, graduated from a renowned university, and landed a top job in one of the leading firms in the technology industry. He has become irrational and violent in the course of conversations considered normal. Medical examinations established the patient as having tactile hallucinations such that he reported feeling worms wriggling all over his body. The patient has no illusions but expresses a euthymic mood. The client has visible scars following physical fights with other individuals occasionally whenever under the influence of the drugs. The patient has since been admitted to the psychiatric unit of the hospital.
Application of the Peplau’s theory to offer assistance to patient, T.M.T
T.M.T exhibits the signs and symptoms of a psychiatric patient caused by past drug and substance abuse. The drugs ended up having psychological effects on T.M.T leading to the violent outbursts. Applying Peplau’s theory entails me as a nurse playing the stranger role during the orientation phase. During the therapy sessions, I would call the patient by name, introduce myself as a nurse by profession, and highlight my ability and willingness to help. I create a friendly environment for both of us and ask gentle but tactical questions while showing a lot of empathy to help build a good rapport.
In the second phase after the problem has been identified as drug and substance abuse. I will establish what drives the patient to using drugs and whichever method can be used to stop them from further taking drugs, this may include referral to rehabilitation center, educational support, and offer professional expertise based on the available avenues of help. Getting the client to be more willing to stay out of drugs and acting as a counselor by suggesting ways through which T.M.T can stay drug free is the ultimate goal as this is the source of his health condition.
In the final phase, resolution, I would recommend the patient be discharged and be booked for periodical meetings preferably monthly counseling sessions until a point he can fully resume his professional duties. After this point I will thank T.M.T for their cooperation during the treatment process and end the relationship.
References
- Gonzalo, A. (2021). Hildegard Peplau: Interpersonal relations theory. https://nurseslabs.com/hildegard-peplaus-interpersonal-relations-theory/
- Hagerty, T. A., Samuels, W., Norcini-Pala, A., & Gigliotti, E. (2017). Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations: An alternate factor structure for patient experience data?. Nursing science quarterly, 30(2), 160-167.
- Peplau, HE. (1992). Interpersonal relations: a theoretical framework for application in nursing practice. 13-18. doi:10.1177/089431849200500106.
- Sills, G. (2022). Hildegard Peplau. Nursing Theorist Homepage. Retrieved June 27, 2022, from https://publish.uwo.ca/~cforchuk/peplau/obituary.html
