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,
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, J. (2001). Jean Watson: Theory of human caring. In M.E. Parker (Ed.), Nursing theories and nursing practice (pp. 343-354). Philadelphia: Davis.
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
The purpose of this paper is an overview of Jean Watson’s Theory of Caring. This theory can be taken into account as one of the most philosophicaly complicated of existent nursing theories. The Theory of Human Caring, which also has been reffered to as the Theory of Transpersonal Caring, is middle – range explanatory theory. (Fawccett, 2000) The central point of which is on the human component of caring and actual encounter between the client and the caregiver. Jean Watson has stated that her work was motivated by her search of a new meaning to the world of nursing and patient care. “ I felt a dissonnance between nursing’s (meta) paradigm of caring-healing and health, and medicines’s (meta) paradigm of diagnosis and treatment, and concentration on disease and pathology”. (Watson, 1997,p.49)
Both theories use communication as the backbone to their theories and in developing an environment conducive to promote healing. Although communication is the framework for both theories, types of communication is looked at different in each theory. In Watson’s theory, she that communication is a spiritual occurrence. The focus is on nonverbal as well as verbal expressions. She also involves personal experiences and growth, art, religious practices. Watson uses the concept of care as the center of nursing care. The goal of the Human Care Theory is for the patient and nurse to gain a higher degree of harmony within themselves, cultivating a wholeness of mind/body/spirit (Watson Caring Science Institute, 2010, p.
When I became a nurse, in my heart, I knew that I was a caring person; however, I did not have a caring theory driving my practice. After studying Watson’s Human Caring Science Theory, the theory is consistent with my values, which emphasizes a holistic approach with mind, body, and spirit through a caring nurse patient relationship in an environment that promotes healing, comfort, and dignity. Human Caring Science gives the privilege of viewing human life with wonder, respect, and appreciates small and large miracles, which allows the inner world of the patient and nurse to come together in a unique human relationship, in the here and now moment (Watson, 2012, p. 24).
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
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).
Caring can be described in many different ways. One demonstration of caring is when a nurse at a hospital helps those who are physically ill become well again. Caring also practices involvement in the connection, mutual recognition and involvement between nurse and client. "The Community Health Nursing: Caring in Action” (1999) defines “those assistive, enabling, supportive, or facilitative behaviors toward or for another individual or group to promote health, prevent disease, and facilitate healing”(p.6). Another definition from another author such as (Harkreader, 2000) wrote, sees caring as a universal behaviour observed in human beings and influenced by Society, culture, values and gender”(p.1450). Thus, nurses would certainly agree that caring is important in everyday life.
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
Watson views the concept of a human being as a person that should be valued, cared for, respected, nurtured, understood, and assisted (Nursing Theories, 2012). Every human being should be treated as a person instead of an object and receive the opportunity to have their distinct needs cared for. Health is viewed as a high level of physical, mental, and social functioning, ability to adapt and maintenance with daily living, and the lack of illness or the efforts that lead to the lack of (Nursing Theories, 2012). Watson’s theory believes that the environment determines the values that influence your behaviors and the goals you wish to pursue. It also influences how well a patient copes with the situation and how the nurse should be supportive and considerate towards the patient. Watson defines nursing as “a human science of persons and human health-illness experiences that are mediated by professional, personal, scientific, esthetic and ethical human transactions” (Nursing Theories, 2012, para. 4). Nursing should be more than just providing medical care, it should establish a relationship and build trust. Watson’s other concepts of her theory include the caring occasion, transpersonal caring, phenomenal field, self, and
What is caring? In any healthcare profession caring is an important concept, but what does it really mean to care? Opinions on the meaning of caring vary depending on the person and the situation. It seems that most people think of caring differently than nurses do, and nurses think of caring differently than other healthcare workers. Which arises another question, is caring in nursing different than other healthcare disciplines? What does it mean to care as a nurse? Why is caring important in nursing? After speaking to friends and family I have heard many different thoughts on what caring is believed to be defined as.
One can find caring practices in many aspects of human life. Usually parents care for their young children, and children care for their older parents, husbands and wives care for their spouses, etc. In the professional scope, usually healthcare professionals associated with care. The foundation of nursing practice is an idea of caring. “Caring is important for many reasons, but is considered crucial for quality healthcare” (Tanking, 2010, p.3). So, what does caring actually mean?