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What is the concept of caring in nursing practice
Jean Watson's theory of caring
Philosophy of nursing theories
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Recommended: What is the concept of caring in nursing practice
Many people consider caring as the most important characteristics that a nurse must possess. To be accurate, they believe it is the most important aspect of nursing. Consequently, having a deep understanding of the subject is very important because it will help to comprehend the concept of caring. A concept represents a symbol or a building block of a bigger spectrum; it is the basis of what the researcher wants to pursue (Foley & Davis, 2017). Additionally, concept analysis can be understood as a driving force to improve quality in practice. It further identifies unique characteristics of each concept and provides researchers with a precise operational definition of that concept. Furthermore, concept analysis can refine ambiguous concepts …show more content…
As nurses, caring is to give the best care possible to our patients. Another definition of caring includes the global concept of showing concern and empathy for others (Mann, 2014)
Watson described caring as an essential in nursing, which itself is described as a human science and art. She pointed to a transpersonal caring relationship and a specific type of professional and human-to-human contact (Pajnkihar et al., 2017). As healthcare providers, our goal is to positively affect the experience of our patients and their families. Caring is an important aspect of the nursing practice; the reason for selecting this concept is because it is viewed as the most important part of our profession.
Literature Review
Jean Watson, nursing’s living legend, began the development of the Theory of Human Caring/Caring Science over 35 years ago (Clarke, 2016). This theory should serve as a foundation for any personal philosophy of nursing. It reminds us to always treat our patients with love, compassion, and empathy. As caring nurses, we should always anticipate our patients’ needs and try to meet them with kindness and thoughtfulness. When we care, we always treat others with dignity and respect. As healthcare providers, we must always be our patients’ advocate. Additionally, caring means to always fight for our patients’ rights. It also means building a trusting and caring relationships with them. We must be self-aware of any judgmental feelings that could foster their crossing boundaries into intimacy (Lachmann,
Caring is the “central theme and core of nursing caring tapestry” (Otterbein University, 2009, p. 2). When developing caring characteristics as a nurse and caring interventions, this in return helps
Watson, J. (2001). Jean Watson: Theory of human caring. In M.E. Parker (Ed.), Nursing theories and nursing practice (pp. 343-354). Philadelphia: Davis.
She proposed that caring and love are universal and mysterious (Wagner, 2010). Watson believes that health professionals make moral, social, and scientific contributions to humanity and that a nurses' caring ideal can affect human development (Wagner, 2010). Watson believes that it is imperative in today's society to maintain a caring ideology in practice (Wagner, 2010). Caring is a concept that focuses on having a respectful, non-judgmental, supportive attitude that contributes to the healing process. Watson's theory, in relationship to the metaparadigm of nursing, focuses on the relationship between the nurse and the patient (Wagner, 2010). According to Watson's theory, the nurse and patient form a caring relationship where both the patient and the nurse promote healing (Wagner, 2010). In general, the theory of caring reminds us that a nurse can have a great impact on the life of a patient. If I were to add a new conceptual metaparadigm, it would be the concept of caring since I firmly believe that without caring it will be almost impossible to have wellness at all. If I were to choose one metaparadigm concept to eliminate, I would opt to remove the concept of health since I think that in the concepts of caring and nursing the individual's health should be fully
Caring is the biggest aspect in the nursing field. Aspiring nurses choose to become nurses because they want to care for people in ways that most professions cannot do. Without caring nursing would not be the field it is today. The culture of caring involves intervening programs that help to build caring behaviors among nurses. As nurses become stressed and become down on their life it has shown that caring for oneself before others is key in caring for patients. Lastly, throughout the years many theorists have proven that caring has come from many concepts and ideas that relate directly to ICU nursing.
In the field of Nursing, the role of caring is an important, if not the most critical, aspect involved to ensure that the patient is provided with the most proficient healthcare plan possible. Jean Watson developed a series of theories involved with transpersonal relationships and their importance, along with caring, in the restorative process of the patient and healing in general. Although all of Watson 's caritas processes are crucial to the role of nurses and patient care, the fourth process is incredibly essential as it outlines the importance of the caring nurse-patient relationship. This paper serves to identify Watson 's fourth caritas process, how it can be integrated in nursing care and how it can be developed by current nursing
In conclusion, Jean Watson’s theory of caring, a middle-range theory, provides essential framework and guidelines in nursing shortage problem. Nurses who exposed to caring theory have moral and ethical obligations to care for others during challenging situations. Patients, families and other professionals depend on nursing profession, their expertise and knowledge for best patient
Watson conceived her Theory of Human Caring while she was teaching at the University of Colorado in 1975 to 1979 (Conway et al, 2011). It evolved from her personal views on nursing and merged with her learning and experience from her doctoral studies in education, clinical and social psychology. With the publication of her first book, Jean Watson developed the initial ideas of her theory and came up with 10 “carative” factors. Her actual theory was published in 1985, after which she further developed the corresponding nursing curriculum. In those years, Watson also extensively traveled in Asia and Australia while practiced. The prevailing influences in the nursing field at the time were those of Carl Rogers, Florence Nightingale and Leininger. Main psy...
Watson first published her theory of caring in 1979 in a book titled, Nursing: Human Science and Caring. Watson and other researchers have built upon this theory and caring theory should continually be evolving as the delivery of patient care evolves. This theory focuses on care between the nurse and the patient. This interaction is defined as setting mutual tasks, how a spiritual force may help the interaction and when caring in the moment of true healing may occur. When the nurse and patient are on the same level spiritually self-awareness and self-discovery occur. There are ten themes identified in this article essential to caring in
Jean Watson is a well-respected American nursing theorist who created the Theory on Human Caring. Watson’s concept on caring for a human being is simple, yet has much depth and meaning, and holds strong for nurses to work with compassion, wisdom, love, and caring. The Theory on Human Caring is necessary for every nurse, as it is our job to care for others in a genuine and sensitive way. The theory is extensive; its core foundation is based on nine concepts all interrelated and primarily focused on a nurse giving a patient care with compassion, wisdom, love, and caring (Watson, J., 1999). The nine essential aspects consist of: values, faith-hope, sensitivity, trust, feelings, decision-making, teaching-learning, environment, and human needs. Watson also created the Caritas Process consists of ten different ways of giving care:
One must have the full desire to help and care for people in order to have an enjoyable career as a nurse. Nurses are known for the care and compassion shown to the patients and this is comforting for both patients and their families. Caring for a patient can raise their spirits and can inspire a better outlook on their situation. As a nurse, I want to care for all my patients with the hope of improving their health and outlook on their life. I chose Jean Watson because she understands that caring is the core of nursing and believes caring promotes a better health than only performing medical care. She was the first grand theorist that focused on the aspect of caring for the patient while also caring for yourself as the nurse. Watson’s theory
Caring is a very important component of nursing. Caring is important to nursing because it is a nurse 's job to care for the patient and make sure all is well. If a nurse was not caring, than the patient would not feel safe and not receive the best care possible. Nurses have to use all of the key characteristics mentioned in order to achieve excellent patient
Watson, J. (1997). The theory of human caring. Retrospective and prospective. Nursing Science Quarterly. 10(1), 49-52.
Watson’s theory offers an insight of what nursing is and does, beyond task orientation in acute and chronic healthcare environments. Nurses need be mindful of the care they render to patients and consider it as a whole individual, irrespective of their ailment in order make a caring capability, according to the Watson Caring theory. Also, patients require caring events in which the patient and the nurse believes the same mutual understandings to improve the healing manner. Watson's theory motivates nurses to incorporate hope and faith in the care patients by utilizing therapeutic words, fostering, caring gesticulations, and non-verbal communications of provision. Nurses are encourage to form a non-frightening settings that encourages positive and negative feelings and promotes interpersonal relationship that motivates the patient make a therapeutic health decisions. Watson's theory objective for nurses is to offer support with the satisfaction of the patient's health necessities and safeguard the physical, mental, spiritual and socio-cultural well-being of the patients. As nurses utilize this theory, it is not just administering medications and performing procedures, but rendering holistic care such as adding person’s sense of well-being by assisting in attainment of harmony among the mind, body, and spirit, incorporating patients feeling into the care, and utilize every nursing responsibilities require to enhance patients
Watson’s Theory of Transpersonal Caring is considered a philosophy; therefore, it is very broad and general in scope. Included in the theory are ten caritas the nurse should practice promoting a meaningful nurse-patient relationship (Sitzman & Wright Eichelberger, 2017).
A nurse, who is knowledgeable and confident, respectful and trustworthy, who has a personal approach for each of the patients and advocate for them, who can put herself or himself in the patients’ place, is a caring nurse. Of course, it is not very easy and there are many challenges, but if the nurses can work hard and always try to provide the best caring experience, they can succeed and be professionally satisfied. There is also another question that I couldn’t find the answer yet: how do we measure the caring? Is there any way we can know that we provide enough care? This can be the topic of my future