NUR 1010 Personal Nursing Philosophy Essay Assignment
NUR 1010: Foundations of Nursing Practice
Assignment 1: My Personal Nursing Philosophy
Undergraduate Nursing Program | Year 1
Due: Week 4 | Length: 3–4 Pages | APA 7th Edition
Assignment Overview
A personal nursing philosophy is the foundation of your professional identity as a nurse. It defines what you believe nursing is, why it matters to you, and how your core values will guide your approach to patient care, clinical decision-making, and professional relationships. In this first major assignment for NUR 1010, you will develop and articulate your own personal nursing philosophy in a structured reflective essay.
This assignment encourages you to look inward before you step into clinical settings. By examining the motivations, values, and beliefs that drew you to nursing, you will build a guiding document that can grow and evolve alongside your career.
Course Learning Objectives
Upon completing this assignment, you will be able to:
- Articulate a clear and personal definition of nursing and its role in healthcare.
- Identify and reflect on the values, beliefs, and experiences that inform your approach to patient care.
- Connect personal philosophy to foundational nursing concepts including the metaparadigm of nursing.
- Demonstrate academic writing skills consistent with APA 7th edition standards.
- Begin developing a professional identity as a student nurse entering clinical practice.
Assignment Task
Write a 3–4 page reflective essay in which you develop and explain your personal nursing philosophy. Your essay should be written in the first person and reflect genuine self-examination. You are not expected to have extensive clinical experience at this stage; this assignment draws on your personal background, motivations for entering the nursing field, and the values that will shape your practice.
Your essay must address all four of the following sections:
- Your Philosophy Statement
Begin your essay with a clear, concise nursing philosophy statement of two to four sentences. This statement should capture what nursing means to you personally and the core beliefs that will guide your practice. Think of it as your professional mission statement.
- Self-Reflection and Personal Motivation
Reflect on the experiences, relationships, or moments that drew you to nursing. Discuss the personal values you hold — such as compassion, integrity, advocacy, or service — and explain how these values will influence the kind of nurse you want to become. You may include a significant personal story or formative experience if it is relevant and authentic.
- Connection to Nursing Concepts
Discuss how your philosophy connects to at least two concepts from the nursing metaparadigm: person, health, environment, and nursing. Explain, in your own words, how you understand these concepts and how they relate to your personal approach to patient care.
- Your Vision for Practice and Impact
Describe the kind of nurse you aspire to be and the impact you hope to have on your patients, their families, and your broader community. Consider both the immediate context of bedside care and the broader possibilities of nursing roles such as advocacy, education, or community health.
Assignment Requirements
- Length: 3–4 pages of body text, not including the title page or reference list.
- Format: Double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins on all sides.
- Citation Style: APA 7th edition for all in-text citations and reference list entries.
- Sources: A minimum of two (2) scholarly or peer-reviewed sources published within the last seven years must be cited to support your discussion of nursing concepts. Course readings and assigned textbooks are acceptable.
- Voice: Written in the first person throughout.
- Title Page: Include a properly formatted APA title page with your name, course number, instructor name, institution, and submission date.
- Submission: Upload as a Microsoft Word document (.docx) to the course portal by 11:59 PM on the due date.
Grading Rubric (100 Points Total)
| Criteria | Excellent (90–100%) | Proficient (75–89%) | Developing (60–74%) | Needs Improvement (0–59%) |
| Nursing Philosophy Statement (20 pts) | Clear, original, and compelling statement that fully reflects personal values, beliefs, and goals in nursing. | Statement is present and mostly clear with minor gaps in depth or originality. | Statement is vague, generic, or lacks personal reflection. | Statement is missing or does not address nursing values or beliefs. |
| Self-Reflection & Personal Connection (25 pts) | Deep and authentic reflection on personal motivations, key influences, and meaningful patient care experiences. | Adequate reflection with some personal connection; lacks depth in places. | Reflection is superficial; minimal connection to personal experience. | Little to no personal reflection or narrative present. |
| Integration of Nursing Concepts (20 pts) | Effectively integrates nursing metaparadigm (person, health, environment, nursing) with clear, accurate application. | Nursing concepts are referenced with reasonable accuracy; integration could be stronger. | Concepts are mentioned but not applied meaningfully to personal practice. | Nursing concepts are absent or significantly misunderstood. |
| Organization & Structure (15 pts) | Logically structured with smooth transitions; introduction, body, and conclusion are clearly defined. | Generally organized with minor structural or transitional weaknesses. | Organization is inconsistent; structure is difficult to follow in places. | No discernible structure; ideas are disjointed throughout. |
| APA Format & Mechanics (10 pts) | APA 7th edition used correctly throughout; writing is polished with no grammar or spelling errors. | Minor APA or mechanical errors that do not impede comprehension. | Several APA or mechanical errors; some impact readability. | APA not followed; significant grammar and spelling issues throughout. |
| Length & Formatting Compliance (10 pts) | Fully meets 3–4 page requirement; double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman, 1-inch margins. | Meets most formatting requirements; length is slightly short or long. | Noticeably outside page requirement or key formatting elements are missing. | Does not meet length or formatting requirements at all. |
Sample Philosophy Statement (Illustrative Example)
The following excerpt illustrates the kind of reflective, values-driven writing expected in this assignment. It is provided for guidance only and must not be reproduced in your submission.
“My nursing philosophy centers on the belief that every patient is a whole person whose physical condition is inseparable from their emotional, social, and spiritual life. I came to nursing after watching my grandmother receive care during a long hospitalization and witnessing firsthand how a compassionate nurse could transform fear into calm and uncertainty into trust. I believe that nursing is not simply a clinical function but a deeply human relationship, and I intend to bring that conviction into every patient interaction throughout my career. As Nightingale (1860/1969) observed, the art of nursing is in placing the patient in the best condition for nature to act upon them — a principle I interpret as a commitment to seeing and responding to the full person, not just the diagnosis.”
A strong nursing philosophy goes beyond good intentions to articulate specific values and their connection to practice. Research supports that nurses who develop a clearly defined personal philosophy demonstrate greater professional resilience, improved patient-centered communication, and stronger ethical decision-making in clinical settings (Chitty & Black, 2022). The nursing metaparadigm — encompassing person, health, environment, and nursing — provides a useful conceptual scaffold for organizing your beliefs and ensuring your philosophy connects personal motivation to professional responsibility (Fawcett & DeSanto-Madeya, 2021).
In a 3–4 page paper, develop your personal nursing philosophy by reflecting on your motivations, values, and beliefs, connecting them to foundational nursing concepts and your vision for patient care, submitted in APA 7th edition format.
Compose a structured reflective essay articulating your personal nursing philosophy, core values, and professional vision – NUR 1010 Assignment 1 for first-year undergraduate nursing students, APA 7th edition, due Week 4.
Submission Checklist
Before submitting, confirm the following:
- Philosophy statement of 2–4 sentences appears at the start of your essay.
- All four required sections are addressed in full.
- A minimum of two scholarly sources are cited in APA 7th edition format.
- Essay is 3–4 pages, double-spaced, in 12pt Times New Roman with 1-inch margins.
- APA title page is included.
- File is saved and uploaded as a .docx document.
 References
The following sources are recommended to support your assignment. You are not required to use all of them, but at least two peer-reviewed sources must appear in your reference list.
American Nurses Association. (2021). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (4th ed.). American Nurses Association.
Chitty, K. K., & Black, B. P. (2022). Professional nursing: Concepts and challenges (9th ed.). Elsevier. https://evolve.elsevier.com
Fawcett, J., & DeSanto-Madeya, S. (2021). Contemporary nursing knowledge: Analysis and evaluation of nursing models and theories (3rd ed.). F.A. Davis.
Masters, K. (2020). Role development in professional nursing practice (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Sherwood, G., & Barnsteiner, J. (Eds.). (2022). Quality and safety in nursing: A competency approach to improving outcomes (3rd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119694366