Dr. Jane Watson's Theory of Human Caring
Dr. Jean Watson, a registered nurse with a doctorate in philosophy, believed that nursing was more than just a health profession, but rather that through nursing, you can actually affect, influence or even change both a patient's and a nurse's life for the better. She theorized that this could be accomplished if an individual was cared for as a whole person "in body, mind and spirit", taking into consideration their environment, feelings, culture and relationships, rather than just focusing on their illness. This is why she developed a unique set of values and practices that when implemented in nursing, helped patients with the healing process, whether it was spiritual, emotional or physical and promoted growth. This theory became known as the Theory of Human Caring and focuses on three major elements a) caritative factors, b) the transpersonal caring relationship and c) the caring occasion /caring moment.
The caritative factors consist of a set of 10 modalities which are the core foundations and the providers of a structural guide for the nursing practice of caring. The general main concepts of these are; the development of caring values trough family and life experience, the use of faith-hope as a means in providing a sense of well being and aid in the curative process, the need of becoming sensitive toward the feelings of others and one's self, using communication and empathy to establish a helping-trust relationship, promoting the expression of both positive and negative feelings, making decisions using the scientific problem-solving method, focusing on the learning process as much as the teaching process, manipulating the environment to provide support, comfort, safety, p...
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...e many ways nurses today can integrate Watson theory in their everyday practice, for example, by being always open and receptive to patients needs, always communicating with the patients and listening to their concerns, demonstrating sensitivity to their patient's feelings, always being positive and encouraging, devoting time and attention to patients and increasing their knowledge by constantly continuing their education. In today's fast-paced health care settings, questions may arise whether it is posible for nurses to actually implement Watson's caring theory into their practice, but the benefits that can clearly be obtained by practicing the theory of Humans Caring, overweigh any of today's challenges and help nurses to realize the unique and important role they play in people's lives.
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.
Dr. Jean Watson based her theory on caring for the individual and their families. She believed that she should be the base of the caring and healing environment and that nursing entailed the requirement offering loving, nurturing care to all her patients. She believed that caring and kindness was the core of nursing. Dr. Jean Watson also believed that nurses should believe in miracles. She believed that she, as well as others, should be open to the miracles and unexpected events that occur in life. Dr. Watson is a very positive and caring person and shows that through her theory of nursing.
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
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:
Nursing and Qualities That I Possess to become a Good Nurse Nursing is the act of safely caring, protecting and improving our clients’/patients’ health and ability without causing any further harm or disability to them. Our primary goal is to restore and maintain good health physically, spiritually and psychologically. It is a science, such that one has to apply the nursing knowledge and technical aspects of practice. However, it is important to incorporate the act of patient-centered care, which is defined according to QSEN/NOF, as holistic care that recognizes the patient as the source of control and full-partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care with respect for the patient’s desire, values, needs and preferences. It has to incorporate with the nurse’s personality, i.e., certain qualities that the individual possess.
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
“Nursing encompasses an art, a humanistic orientation, a feeling for the value of the individual, and an intuitive sense of ethics, and of the appropriateness of action taken’, said Myrtle Aydelott (Hammarskjold, 2000). Nurses have our patients trust with their lives every day. These patients have needs that must be understood and met, whether; physical, psychological, or emotional. Nurses must provide nonjudgmental care to those in need, regardless of culture, religion, lifestyle choices, financial status, or hues of the human race. To quote Jean Watson, nursing theorist, “I am here to care for others, regardless of where they came from” (Hammarskjold, 2000). I believe that the nursing profession chose me because I have always had a calling to help those in need. Nursing
Jean Watson’s Theory of Caring. 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.
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).
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).