Reflection Assignment Weeks 2 And 3 APA References ✓ Solved

Reflection Assignment Week 2 and Week 3 APA, References and

Cleaned assignment instructions:

Reflection Assignment 1 (Week 2): Meeting Essential IX. Reflect on your personal nursing philosophy as it has evolved over the RN-BSN program at WCU. Identify specific theorists you feel you most identify with. How does your personal nursing philosophy, and the work you completed in your program, demonstrate meeting Essential IX: Baccalaureate Generalist Nursing Practice, Outcome #18: Develop an awareness of patients as well as healthcare professionals’ spiritual beliefs and values and how those beliefs and values impact health care. Review past academic work, evaluate your effectiveness at meeting this program essential, and ponder the impact that this proficiency will have on your future. Identify how you met the essential by referring to the assignment(s) specifically in your response. Additionally, reflect upon and make connections between your academic experience and real-world applications. Recommended: Refer back to work you completed for NURS 500 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing Practice and LDR 432 Principles of Leadership for Healthcare Organizations, as well as other courses, to gather academic examples and evidence of having met this essential. Your reflection should be 2 pages and in APA Style. Reference and cite any sources you use.

Reflection Assignment 2 (Week 3): Meeting Essential VIII. This week, reflect on ethical principles and your understanding of ethical decision-making frameworks as they have evolved over the course of your RN-BSN program at WCU. Identify specific ethical standards and moral conduct codes. How does your academic work support evidence of meeting Essential VIII: Professionalism and Professional Values; Outcome #1: Demonstrate the professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct. Review your past academic work, evaluate your effectiveness at meeting this program essential, and ponder the impact that this proficiency will have on your future. Identify how you met the essential by referring to the assignment(s) specifically in your response. Additionally, reflect on and make connections between your academic experience and real-world applications. Recommended: Refer to work you completed for NURS 521 Ethics in Health Care and NURS 510 Policy, Organization, and Financing of Health Care, as well as other courses, to gather academic examples and evidence of having met this essential. Your reflection should be 2 pages and APA Style. Reference and cite any sources you use.

Paper For Above Instructions

Introduction: This reflective analysis comprises two integrated assignments designed to demonstrate how my RN-BSN journey aligns with Essential IX (Baccalaureate Generalist Nursing Practice) and Essential VIII (Professionalism and Professional Values) as outlined by AACN and supported by nursing ethics and theory. The purpose is to articulate an evolving nursing philosophy, identify influential theorists, and examine ethical standards and decision-making frameworks that shape professional nursing practice. Throughout, I will reference relevant coursework and theoretical foundations to illustrate growth, application, and future implications. In this synthesis, I draw upon classic and contemporary nursing theories, professional codes, and ethical frameworks to show how educational experiences translate into clinical reasoning and practice that honors patients’ beliefs, values, and rights.

Week 2 Reflection: Personal Philosophy and Essential IX. My professional nursing philosophy has matured from a technicist view toward a holistic, caring, and culturally sensitive approach. Central to this evolution is the Caring Theory of Jean Watson, which emphasizes the moral and interpersonal dimensions of nursing—seeing the patient as a person with dignity and meaning, not merely a set of symptoms (Watson, 1988). Watson’s emphasis on presence, authentic caring relationships, and the therapeutic use of self has guided my attention to patients’ spiritual beliefs and values as meaningful components of health care. This aligns with Essential IX, Outcome #18, which requires an awareness of how patients’ and healthcare professionals’ beliefs influence health outcomes (AACN, 2008). In practice, I have sought to incorporate patients’ spiritual and cultural contexts into care plans, documenting conversations about beliefs in course assignments and clinical experiences. Leininger’s Culture Care Diversity and Universality has further enriched my perspective by underscoring cultural congruence and respect for diverse meanings of wellness and illness (Leininger, 1991). Nightingale’s foundational emphasis on environmental determinants of health continues to ground my understanding that the nursing environment, including spiritual climate, shapes healing (Nightingale, 1860). Orem’s self-care framework reminds me that patients participate in decisions about care to the extent possible, preserving autonomy and dignity (Orem, 2001). The synthesis of these theories supports a philosophy that centers caring, cultural humility, patient autonomy, and spiritual sensitivity as essential to professional practice (AACN, 2008).

To illustrate how I met Essential IX, I examined assignments from NURS 500 and related courses where I integrated theoretical concepts with clinical reasoning. For example, in a theoretical foundations assignment, I described how patient beliefs informed pain management plans and end-of-life discussions. I also reflected on leadership and collaboration in LDR 432 by exploring how spiritual beliefs intersect with family-centered care during care transitions. These examples demonstrate how my evolving philosophy informs the practice of holistic assessment, culturally competent care, and patient-centered communication, which are core elements of the baccalaureate generalist role (AACN, 2008; ANA, 2015). The impact on my future practice involves ongoing commitment to self-reflection, continual integration of patient values into care decisions, and advocacy for environments that honor diverse beliefs in health care (AACN, 2008; Beauchamp & Childress, 2019).

Week 3 Reflection: Ethical Principles and Decision-Making Frameworks. Ethical practice is grounded in both theory and professional codes. Beauchamp and Childress’ Principles of Biomedical Ethics provide a clear framework for balancing autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice when addressing patient needs and resource allocation (Beauchamp & Childress, 2019). The ANA Code of Ethics with Interpretive Statements further grounds professional conduct, highlighting standards of moral, ethical, and legal practice for nurses (ANA, 2015). In reflecting on my coursework, I’ve confronted scenarios requiring principled choices, including informed consent, confidentiality, and truth-telling, where I relied on Beauchamp and Childress’ framework as well as Beauchamp and colleagues’ emphasis on contextual moral reasoning (Beauchamp & Childress, 2019). Kohlberg’s stages of moral development offer a lens to assess my progression toward higher-order ethical reasoning, while Carol Gilligan’s emphasis on care and relational ethics reminds me to consider how gendered experiences influence ethical judgments in nursing (Kohlberg, 1981; Gilligan, 1982). Nightingale’s emphasis on social justice and environmental determinants of health also informs ethical decision-making by highlighting the patient’s broader social context (Nightingale, 1860). The professional standards of conduct reinforced in the courses NURS 521 Ethics in Health Care and NURS 510 Policy, Organization, and Financing of Health Care further shaped my understanding of accountability, advocacy, and professional responsibility (ANA, 2015; AACN, 2008).

In practice, ethical decision-making has meant engaging in shared decision-making, seeking informed consent with clear explanations, and recognizing the moral weight of resource limitations on patient care. I have documented ethical reflections in assignments that reference these frameworks, linking theory to action. The integration of ethical principles with professional values is foundational to my ongoing development as a nurse who can navigate complex clinical environments while upholding patient rights and social justice (Beauchamp & Childress, 2019; ANA, 2015). The Week 3 focus has reinforced the need to balance patient autonomy with beneficence and nonmaleficence in collaboration with other health professionals, and it has highlighted the role of policy and organizational considerations in ethical practice (NURS 510; NURS 521). The result is a more nuanced approach to ethical dilemmas that is anchored in established theories, professional codes, and real-world patient scenarios (Kohlberg, 1981; Gilligan, 1982; Beauchamp & Childress, 2019; ANA, 2015).

Conclusion: By integrating theory, professional codes, and reflective practice, I have advanced toward meeting Essential IX and Essential VIII as core competencies of the RN-BSN program. The philosophical underpinnings of caring, culture, and self-care inform my clinical reasoning and patient interactions, while ethical frameworks guide decision-making and professional accountability. Moving forward, I will continue to cultivate a reflective practice that honors patients’ beliefs, promotes autonomy, and upholds ethical standards in all settings. This ongoing process will support my growth as a baccalaureate generalist who can contribute to high-quality, compassionate, and evidence-based nursing care that respects diversity and upholds professional integrity (AACN, 2008; ANA, 2015; BEA, 2019).

References

1. American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. Silver Spring, MD: ANA.
2. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008). Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice. Washington, DC: AACN.
3. Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2019). Principles of Biomedical Ethics (8th ed.). Oxford University Press.
4. Nightingale, F. (1860). Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not. London: Harrison.
5. Watson, J. (1988). Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring. Boston, MA: Little, Brown.
6. Leininger, M. (1991). Culture Care Diversity and Universality: A Theory of Nursing. Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis.
7. Orem, D. E. (2001). Nursing: Concepts of Practice (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.
8. Roy, C. (2009). The Roy Adaptation Model (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis.
9. Benner, P. (1984). From Novice to Expert: Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing Practice. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley.
10. Kohlberg, L. (1981). Essays on Moral Development, Volume One: The Philosophy of Moral Development. San Francisco: Harper & Row.