Caring in the Nursing World
Abigail Craffey
University of Maine Fort Kent
NUR 330
Karen Rogers, MSN-RN BC
November 3, 2016
The art of human caring is one of the most essential parts of the nursing profession. Caring is not something that you learn to do, but something that is within you. In nursing, it is important to know what kind of nurse you want to be as well as the care you intend to provide to your patients. The patient is the center of nursing, and it is your responsibility to make sure they are receiving the best care that they can receive. One of the most important things is to be able to set aside personal beliefs and morals in order to provide patient centered care. The way that you approach and care for a patient is either going to make or break the effect of the care you will be implementing to the patient.
“Watson describes nursing as a human science, with the major focus being the process of human care for individuals, families and groups. Her theory is based on a form of humanism and has its origins in metaphysics (philosophy of being and knowing)” (McCance et al., 1999, pg. 2). Knowing and understanding the nursing metaparadigm is the first step in defining the art of human caring. Nursing is defined as promotion of health, prevention of illness, and collaborative care (Taylor, 2011). However, there are a lot more vital aspects to becoming a good nurse. It all relates back to the care you will be providing for the patient. “The goal of
Regrettably, the existence of nursing depends on the medical inadequacy of others. Unfortunately, nursing exists because people get hurt, cannot care for themselves, or need assistance with daily activities. Carol Taylor (2011), author of Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art and Science of Nursing Care, writes, “Nursing care involves any number of activities, from carrying out complicated technical procedures to something as seemingly as holding a hand” (p. 5). Taylor explains it is the duty of a nurse not only to learn the pertinent skills but also to bond with and comfort others. Nurses have to do and become many things: They must be stern when necessary, compassionate when needed, open minded
Nursing is defined in the lesson as the care provided to restore or maintain health is the function of nursing. Care is provided to aid the human response to health and illness (Chamberlain, 2013). I find this central concept of professional nursing to be one of the most important concepts in my practice as a nurse. In order to be a good nurse we have to first and foremost nurse. This is not an easy thing to accomplish at the high levels our patients deserve. I take great pride that I am a member of several professional organizations and hold certifications at the highest levels pertinent to my practice. I take the time outside of my job to maintain currency and educational sharpness above and beyond what is required of me at my job, because it matters to the people I take care of. Nurses today are required to take on an ever expansive role as a practitioner. In critical care nursing we are taking care of an ever increasing number of complex sick patients and are required to know far beyond the scope we all learned in nursing school originally. It goes back to our socialization with experienced nurses to help us transition in to the new roles
Nursing is as much science as it is a study in the human condition. Combining caring and the notion of human flourishing allows the nurse sharpen her understanding of patients’ needs by observing and understanding herself (Husted & Husted, 2008). A nurse is able to better anticipate the needs of her patients by noting similarities and differences between the two of them. With caring in the nursing corner, even under less-than-ideal conditions, one can still create havens of hope, nourishment, and the possibility for flourishing (MacCulloh, 2011).
Watson defines nursing as a human science consisting of knowledge, thought, value, philosophy, commitment and action with passion in human care transaction (Meleis, p172, 2012).
Human caring is what sets nursing apart from other professions. As Watson (1998) stated, “care and love are the most universal, the most tremendous and the most mysterious of cosmic forces: they comprise the primal universal psychic energy. Caring is the essence of nursing and the most central and unifying focus for nursing practice” (p. 32-33). It is important to establish a good nurse-patient relationship in order to create a healing environment that would meet patient’s needs on all levels including physical, mental/emotional and spiritual, promote recovery, maintain health, and create positive outcomes. Jean Watson emphasized the importance of human
My personal definition of nursing is taking care of my patient as a whole; using my knowledge, being compassionate and caring, respectful and honest. Taking care of the; spiritual, physical and emotional aspect of the patient, and taking into consideration their family and environment. Learning about the different theorists I associate myself the most with Hildegard Peplau. Peplau believed that the relationship between the patient and the nurse was focus of attention, rather than the patient only as the unit of attention. (Chitty & Black p.314-315). Using Peplau’s theory my relationship begins with my patients as strangers and I try to
A nursing theory that has influenced my professional nursing practice is Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring. In this theory she addresses how nurses care for their patients. Caring is the essence of the nursing profession and is a relationship formed between the nurse and the patient. In Watson’s theory she believed that caring could assist the patient to gain control in their own health care, become educated, and in the end find health. Watson focused on the patient’s mind, body, and soul and this is the aspect of her theory that I try to use in my professional practice. As a new nurse straight out of nursing school I focused more on protocols and procedures to make sure I was doing everything right. My patients had good outcomes but I was amazed when I started thinking about the patient as a whole and not just thinking about the illness they had and how to treat it. Many times just treating the patient’s
What does it mean to be human, and how do we as nurses provide care to our patients? According to Jean Watson “The future of nursing is tied back to Nightingales sense of calling guided by a sense of commitment and covenantal ethic of human service; cherishing our phenomena, our subject matter and those we serve. It is when we include caring and love in our work and our life we discover and affirm that nursing, like teaching is more than just a job but a life giving and life receiving career for a lifetime of growth and learning” (Watson, J. 1978). There have been many different
dignity of the patient are essential components of caring. Caring in nursing is there to meet the
Unitary caring science that allow us to see the patient as a whole person beyond a disease process. The person is interconnected with each other and the univers. Through mutual energy field we all are connected and share energy continuously between our self and environment. Thus, we can affect our patient and our environment in a positive or negative way. What we have in our heart and what we bring to the patient matter. Nurturing and care for our body, mind and spiritual need allow us to be a healing presence in the patient’s environment and strengthens our relationship and connection with our
Since its establishment as a profession more than a century ago, Nursing has been a source for numerous debates related to its course, methods and development of nursing knowledge. Many nursing definitions and theories have evolved over time. Furthermore it is in a constant process of being redefined.
Throughout history nurses have been described as honorable, trustworthy, compassionate and caring. In today’s ever changing world of technological advancements, scientific discoveries, increased life expectancies, patient surveys and overall moral decline in all cultures respectively, the art of caring in nursing has become increasingly more difficult to express in its genuine form. The purpose of this paper is to explore this advanced practice nurse’s definition of caring in comparison to literature’s definition of caring in nursing and how caring is demonstrated in patient care both artistically and in practice.
Caring is the fundamental features and expression of human being. Caring means to take care of someone that needs your help, not only using your knowledge and competence as a professional nurse but express your feeling and emotion as a human being. As a nurse to take care of your patient, you should know how your patient is feeling through communication, if your patient worry about something or angry about certain things, so as a smart professional creativity nurse, you can help the patient to release stress and make it easier to heal. Caring and healing in the same way, you can't heal your patient without providing good care. As a nurse, you should have excellent communication skill in order to understand the patient’s needs. Caring not
The nursing profession has undergone a multitude of changes throughout its long and storied history; the profession has transformed from a job typically taken by women to care for sick members of their families into the science and art that it is today. Nursing practice and education has used numerous theories over the years some written by nurses, some by other professionals, and they differ in what the nature of nursing is or should be. In this paper I will demonstrate how one such theory is taking the art and science of nursing back to its roots of caring for people and not just treating diseases and disorders. By employing Dr. Watson’s human caring theory I will show why it is important to treat
Watson believed that the main focus in nursing is on carative factors which are derived from a humanistic perspective combined with a scientific knowledge base (George, 1990). Seven assumptions about the science