Jean Watson’s Theory: The Art of Caring

The word care can be defined as “the process of providing for the needs of someone or something”. Nursing is a well-respected profession as it involves the art of caring and the application of science and medicine. Jean Watson’s Theory of Caring can be considered a “philosophical and moral/ethical foundation for professional nursing and part of the central focus for nursing at the disciplinary level”. Watson’s theory is deemed the fundamentals of caring in nursing.

Within Watson’s Theory, she has 10 Caritas or principles that proplr should follow to help acquire the art of nursing. In my opinion I think the two most important Caritas are numbers one and five because, I believe these are the “real” building blocks of nursing. If a person can practice and master these two principles, he can master them all.

Carita one says, “Sustaining humanistic-altruistic values by practice of love-kindness, compassion and equanimity with self/others”. To me this means to practice the way you would want to be treated, with love, kindness, compassion and the equal treatment of others.

Carita five says, “Allowing for expression of positive and negative feelings- authentically listening to another person’s story”. I believe that it is important to not only discuss the positive things in life but to also talk about the negative things. It helps express concerns for the big, bad and scary, but it also helps heal a person. It can help a person get out of a negative place.

The ability to master caring is an important factor in nursing, because it helps nurses build trust and respect with their patients. A nurse’s job is not only to cure a patient physically, but to also heal them mentally and emotionally. Jeans Watson says: “Pause to Care!” Before dealing with any patient, it is important to “center yourself on compassion you need to provide not only to your patients, but to yourself as well”. This is an important task as it allows the nurse to connect with their patients and to show empathy in the situations they may face.

On the whole, an individual may display caring characteristics such as compassion, kindness, empathy and being considerate. Being able to continuously display these characteristics plays a major role in the nursing field, as it is not just about anatomy or pharmacology. Nursing can be considered an art as it is science and compassion mixed into one. Nursing is a daily commitment that requires creative thinking, patience and understanding. Watson’s theory I believe, is a great basis for nursing and its core principles. Nurses must keep a strong head on their shoulders and big heart in their chest.

References

• Cambridge Dictionary. Meaning of care in English. 
• Gresh, C. (2019). The caring art of nursing.
• Watson Caring Science Institute. Caring science theory.