The film “Wit”, based on the Margaret Edson play follows Ms. Vivian Bearing as she begins her journey towards death and dying. “ Death, be not proud, though some have called thee. Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so; “ (Donne and Dickerson, n.d.) seems to be the recurrent theme throughout movie as the main character (Vivian Bearing) describes her voyage toward eternal life.

As an English scholar, Bearing spent most of her life studying and teaching the work of John Donne who personifies death by characterizing it as “not proud” and “ not dreadful or mighty”. Ironically after studying death for all her life ,the movie begins with Bearing being newly diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. Now faced with her own possible death, she begins to reflect on her life and past work. During her intense medical treatment and undergoing aggressive chemotherapy, Vivian encounters a compassionate staff nurse, Susie played by Audra McDonald who seems to be the only person who treats her as person rather than a scientific experiment.

Nurse Susie embodies the true definition of a professional nurse. The professional nurse practices holistic care, which is defined by the American Journal of Nursing as “nursing practice that has healing the whole person as its goal. A holistic nurse is a licensed nurse who takes a “mind-body-spirit-emotion-environment” approach to the practice of traditional nursing.” (AJN,2013). Susie’s holistic approach allows her to provide care that is comforting to Bearing during the uncomfortable transition from life to death.

In the movie, there is one particular scene that conveys the image of a holistic nursing care. The scene involves Susie as she takes the time out to discuss the course of treatment and advanced directives to the patient. During this scene, she explains complex medical terminology in layman terms; this simple gesture shows the audience that Susie has taken into consideration that even though her patient is highly educated, she understands that emotional stress can become a barrier that can interfere with personal comprehension. Unlike the physicians taking care of the patient, Susie sees Dr. Bearing as an individual facing an emotionally stressful life event.

The nursing profession is reflective of Jean Watson’s theory of human caring, which focuses on providing holistic care. Susie’s role in the movie “Wit” is in direct alignment the carita (virtue) process which states that nurses, “ engage in transpersonal teaching and learning within context of caring relationship; staying within other’s frame of reference—shift toward coaching model for expanded health/wellness (Watson,2010). This carita focuses on understanding the client’s perspective of their illness and providing adequate information in order for the individual to make informed decisions about their course of treatment. Explaining advanced directives can be an emotional conversation; professional healthcare experience has taught me the importance of assessing patients in a holistic way. Having a clear understanding of the client’s emotional, spiritual, mental and physical status allows the nurse to create a strong, trusting interpersonal relationship. Said relationships allow the nurse to undertake the role of patient advocate which Susie portrays at the end of the movie when she demands that the doctors respect her patient’s wishes to be DNR ( Do not resituate ).

References :
Donne, J. and Dickson, D. (n.d.). John Donne’s poetry.
Holistic nursing: Focusing on the whole person. (2017, November 06). Retrieved October
23,2018, from https://www.americannursetoday.com/holistic-nursing-focusing-on-the-
whole-person/
Watson, J. (2010). New Dimensions of Human Caring Theory. Caring in Nursing Classics.
doi:10.1891/9780826171122.0010