Nursing as Caring
Be sure to address all thought questions. Caring is lived out in the nursing situation, so this is the module to truly express your understanding of what caring is and how caring is lived in nursing situations.
Describe from your practice a nursing situation in which a .11 for nursing was heard. Tell us how the work of a specific caring theorist guides the nursing situation you have described. The caring theorist you discuss must be different than the one you use as a focus of your group project. Be sure to cite Smith, Turkel, and Wolf (2013).
Address thought questions 1-4 as they relate to your situation in this week’s Discussion Board. 110W. are not a nurse as yet, describe a nursing situation you have been in as a patient, and address the thought questions as you believe you would have responded.
Thought Questions: 1. What is a nursing situation and how does this differ from a nursing diagnosis? 2. What does it mean to , know a patient as a caring person?
3. Provide at least 3 examples of “calls for nursing” from your professional experience. Flow does this differ from nursing interventions?
4. What might a nurse’s presence mean to a patient? Identify 2 ways a nurse might be
“present’
You must incorporate all of the thought questions into your initial response for full credit and peer responses should center on the thought questions.
Nursing as Caring: A Nursing Situation Guided by Caring Theory
A nursing situation differs from a nursing diagnosis in that it encompasses the holistic lived experience and meaning of the patient, beyond just their medical condition or problem (Smith et al., 2013). An example of a nursing situation from practice involved an elderly patient admitted for heart failure exacerbation. Upon entering the room, the patient called out in distress, saying “I’m so scared, I feel like I can’t breathe.” This heartfelt call for nursing presence and connection exemplified what it means to truly know a patient as a caring person.
Jean Watson’s Human Caring Theory provides a guiding framework for approaching this nursing situation. A core principle of Watson’s theory is the transpersonal caring relationship, which involves the nurse entering into the patient’s frame of reference through empathetic connection (Wei & Watson, 2019). By being fully present with the patient in their time of vulnerability and fear, the nurse can help restore a sense of harmony and meaning.
Three examples of “calls for nursing” from professional experience that differ from standard nursing interventions include:
1. A terminal cancer patient asking the nurse to sit and pray with them
2. A delirious post-operative patient calling out for their deceased spouse
3. A laboring mother squeezing the nurse’s hand and pleading for reassurance
In each case, the patient is seeking a human caring connection beyond the performance of physical tasks or procedures. Nursing presence in these moments can take the form of therapeutic touch, empathetic listening, and heartfelt affirmation of the patient’s lived experience (Mohammadipour et al., 2018). This type of authentic presence conveys to patients that they are valued as a whole person worthy of dignity, respect, and high-quality caring (Smith et al., 2013).
In conclusion, approaching nursing situations through the lens of caring theory ensures that patients feel heard, supported, and cared for as unique human beings. Guided by theorists like Watson, nurses can enact their professional calling and transform the patient experience through the power of authentic human connection.
References:
1. Mohammadipour, F., Atashzadeh‐Shoorideh, F., Parvizy, S., & Hosseini, M. (2018). Concept development of “nursing presence”: Application of Schwartz‐Barcott and Kim’s hybrid model. Asian Nursing Research, 12(4), 269-276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anr.2018.11.006
2. Smith, M.C., Turkel, M.C., & Wolf, Z.R. (Eds.). (2013). Caring in nursing classics: An essential resource. Springer Publishing Company.
3. Wei, H., & Watson, J. (2019). Healthcare interprofessional team members’ perspectives on human caring: A directed content analysis study. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 6(1), 17-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2018.12.001
4. Younas, A., & Parveen Rasheed, S. (2020). Using authentic presence and caring behaviours during interaction with patients: The moral obligation of nurses. Nursing Ethics, 27(4), 862-872. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020911079
5. Hoover, J., & Kautz, D.D. (2021). A theoretical perspective of caring in nursing using Watson’s 10 caritas processes. International Journal for Human Caring, 25(1), 4-11. https://doi.org/10.20467/HumanCaring-D-20-00020
