Anyone who has ever prepared a college of nursing catalogue has had to engage, if only briefly and superficially, in the development of a philosophy of nursing. I would like to carry that activity a little further here in order to propose and develop a particular philosophy of nursing.

I will describe what could be called the self care philosophy. But an important distinction must be made at the outset. “Self care” usually suggests the lay revolt against professional care; often, self care is billed as an alternative to rather than a philosophy of professional health care. What then do we mean by self care as a philosophy of nursing? The philosophy is this: that nursing have as its primary ideal active assistance to individuals, families, and communities in the development and exercise of their autonomy in health matters. The concept of self care, or patient autonomy, involves two dimensions, action and agency, and the nurse provides assistance in both of these. Self care action is the health behavior that is performed.