Watson theory of caring

Caring is an emotion that shows concern, and empathy when helping others in their moment of needs. It can be achieved by being compassionate and considerate to others when they are at their most vulnerable time. In health care profession, caring is the essence of nursing, and also one of the most important qualities that a nurse should possess. One can argue that being a good nurse does not necessarily mean that one possess the gift of caring. Jean Watson, an American nurse professor, is well known for her theory of caring. According to Sitzman(2007), her theory integrated the components of nursing with a humanistic approach to nursing care.

According to Watson “Caring in this sense is not a matter of doing caring actions in a per scripted way to obtain desired results; rather it is an approach that advocates caring as a state of being” (Sitzman, 2007).

There are many ways a nurse could show compassion and caring behaviors toward a patient . The nurse could listen to the patients by carrying a simple conversation, and establish a trusting relation with them. He/she should treat the patient with dignity and respect.

At the same time, changes in health care delivery have intensified nurse’s responsibilities and nurses’ workload. Nurses now deal with patient acuity and complexities and despite those barriers nurses must find ways to preserve their caring practice because nurses make a difference in people’s lives by what they do and how they do it.