Seth Fuller, MSN, RN, FNP-BC
Nursing Instructor
Philosophy
"Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation as any painter's or sculptor's work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God's spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts." - Florence Nightingale
I believe in a holistic approach: mind, body, and spirit. Treating only the body will make one feel better, but the person will not feel as a whole. The practitioner must appeal to the mind and spirit and include their respective treatment into the care plan.
I believe in both Eastern and Western medicine. I find that a balance of traditional medicine in combination with alternative therapies such as massage, acupuncture, aromatherapy, music, yoga, and the like improve outcomes and provide treatment to the body and spirit. Within reason, I also like to include natural remedies into practice as long as evidence-based research and clinical trials prove efficacy.
I believe that all persons deserve healthcare. Despite financial hardships and political influence, at the core, all persons have the right to a happy and healthy life. I find that the best approach would to be teach cultural change where lifestyle modification influences better outcomes. For example, if grocers only provided foods that are beneficial to health versus the inclusion of junk food, the local climate would have a better state of health. In the same sense, if communities were knit together well enough that persons could walk to work or the store, there would be overall health improvement. Strategies such as these would provide an environment for healthier persons and decrease the demand on healthcare.
I believe that teaching is a provider's greatest gift. You've probably heard the saying you can feed a man a fish, but if you teach him to fish, he can eat for a lifetime. We must communicate with our patients the lessons of how to improve their health, not just patch it with a pill. Medicine is supportive, choices are fundamental. Finally, we must also walk the walk with them. We cannot expect our patients to do something we would not do ourselves.
