Watsons Theory of Human Caring Paper Free Essay Example

The caring moment is a critical decision in another person life, as well as your life. It is an act of humanity. In essence, there is more to giving physical treatment; your presence and support shows the connectivity with another person at every given moment. It is a shared journey in this life, we should always take care of our neighbors, and maybe this can be the main agenda why we live. Medical personnel today try their best, in depths of their day’s activity connecting with their patients even if it’s for a short moment (Dossey & Keegan 2013).

This touches more in the mind, heart and soul. The paper provides a discussion of caring moments and each aspect of caring touches patients in their wholeness. There is the aspect of healing; in a situation of vulnerability there is someone to sustain them. The noble medical practice becomes more of open love and caregiving to those in need.

Background and Major Concepts

Watson’s theory of human caring focuses on the interconnection between the nurse and his/her patients.

Nurses play a critical role in the healing process of the patients as they show support and caring towards them. The theory also outlines vital and powerful therapeutic connections. Watson believed caring was the most important aspect of the patient-nurse relationship (Jesse & Alligood 2013). Nurses undergo training of concepts of love, faith, trust and understanding that help in developing caring relationships and expanding on high-quality healthcare. The theory was developed in 1975 when Jean Watson was teaching the University of Colorado.

It developed from his views of nursing and more in bringing attention to the health profession of the caring values and practices to the society at large. She focused more on inner healing of the patients and how the nurses can accomplish this healing by proving unique care (Jesse & Alligood 2013).

Watson’s theory of human caring contains four major concepts. These are a clinical Caritas process that shows love and outlines the inspiring love all individuals share with one another. Caritas is the way human being connect support and care in their wholeness. This entails their body mind and the soul. Watson’s used 10 Caritas concepts to show the caregiving manifesto in the daily functions of the nurses (Jesse & Alligood 2013). This would eventually promote trust, hope, and understanding in the work environment. The Caritas processes should give directions to practice the theory. They include showing love and kindness, faith and hope, taking care of each person spiritual beliefs values and practices, maintaining healthy and trusting relationships and accepting positive and negative feelings portrayed by each party. Others are embracing the scientific method of decision-making and solving the problems, all teaching and learning should address each person’s needs. The physical environment should be fit for human dignity. The body, mind, and souls needs should be addressed and finally allow an opportunity for miracles to be performed (Nelson & Watson 2013).

These above 10 processes addresses caregiving results in both the patient-nurse relationship and interactions. In addition, the caring environment should exist to help improve, stabilize, and enhance healing. The second major conceptual elements of Watson theory is a transpersonal caring relationship. A lot of emphasizes is laid on the humanist concept of nursing aligned with scientific advancements (Vandenhouten, Kubsch, Murdock & Lehrer 2012). Nursing is taken as an act of professionalism, scientific human care transactions. Caring emphasizes more holistically with an idea that wholeness is more than combined sum of parts (MSherry & Watson 2012). Everyone is highly valued, and a lot of care should be given to him/her. A sense of unity is more emphasized when it comes to health, and an enabling environment should be created. The vital role of the nurse is to demonstrate an intimate and trustworthy relationship with the patient and be able to understand the sufferings of the client.

The caring situations according to Watson occur when patient and nurses join hands and interact to bring a transformational change. The nurse has a mandate to protect the clients and never treat them as objects but with a positive regard (McSherry & Watson 2012). The third one is caring moment/caring occasions authentically shows the moment the nurses experience situations greater than they are experiencing. They explore and avail themselves to give optimal care, and ensure the needs of the patients are met. The nurses become connected and interact freely with the patients; their presence in the patients becomes their responsibility.

The relation may also go deeper and make nurses make connections to the whole society at large to extend on the helping hand (Jesse & Alligood 2013). The fourth is the function of caring and healing consciousness. In this case, the nurse must adhere to the changes in human life and phenomena. Watson demonstrates that human beings react the end results achieved eventually. It takes the care and focus of the nurse to achieve desired and successful healing. The motivation and energy the nurse uses determines how a patient heals. Caring –healing and loving consciousness occurs when time, space, and energy are administered optimally (Dossey, & Keegan 2013).

Patient-Nurse Interaction

Patient-nurse relationship is a caring moment; the nurse connects with the patient and develops an in-depth understanding of the patient’s problems. It involves pausing and be fully present to show compassion beyond what has been practiced in the past. The nurse experiences the patient’s problems as their and tries in all means possible to solve the problems. In a caring moment, the nurse can engage in dialogue with the patients, connect with them and extract information beyond the outer appearance of the patient. A lot is learnt of the behavior of the patients and in the end the nurse learns how to co-relate with the patient (Dossey & Keegan 2013). The human-to-human open relationship expands out caring and keeps alive our humanity. These deepen and sustain the relationship and eliminate the notion of reducing the patients to the status of the object (Smith, Turkel & Wolf 2012). Nurses create a comfortable and enabling environment and Patients feel at ease, and more loved in the society and this increases their healing processes. As a nurse, I feel obliged to work for the society and unconditional love for my patients.

This is simply by engaging in a healthy nurse-patient relationship where both patient and the nurse benefits. Concept of Caring The concept of caring is greatly emphasized by Watson theory. As a nurse, I can understand more about human caring. During this interaction, I am more informed about the way to handle my patients, and how to engage them in dialogues. I can also share crucial information about their health at ease and create an enabling environment for a quick healing process. I learn human caring is an evolving work in progress, it transcends and adapt to our rapidness and the energy we exude to the patients. The nurse practice should change in line with the changes in the society. Patients respond well when all their physical emotional and spiritual needs are addressed (Dossey & Keegan 2013).

Watsons appreciates the needs for the nurse to understand that they must find their inner and self-help to extend ego self as a way of opening and pouring their hearts to others with love, sensitivity, understanding, and compassion. The patients perceived my caring moment as another dimension of nurse practice that is hidden and never explored. They believe more in me and have confidence when laying out their problems to me. They believe they are in for a helping hand and that all their sufferings will come to an end, and their problems solved. They seek comfort in nurses, and their emotions are stable. And this leads to a profound healing process. Patients perceive the nurses as warriors to relieve the anxiety and fear, to identify these symptoms and help them resolve them. The patients believed the nurses are more likely to identify and manage their needs. Watson portrays an intensely deep connection developed by the nurse to his/her patients (Smith, Turkel & Wolf 2012).

Caring Moment, Interaction, or Relationship What is required to enhance a caring moment interaction is to practice self-care on the side of the nurses. Self-care brings closer nurses spirits, consciousness and allows them to feel connected with the surroundings and have a feeling of the cosmic love (Sitzman, & Watson 2013). Nurses are supposed to take care of themselves so as to be able to take care of the patients. They should ensure strong love exist amongst themselves then spread it to the patients. Nurses should be more disciplined and hardworking. More research should also be done to enhance the use of scientific knowledge in treating the patients. This would ensure patients have complete trust in the nurses. Metaparadigm Metaparadigm in Watson’s theory is a person, health, nursing and the environment (Sitzman, & Watson 2013). They are important in human caring. To effectively treat a patient it is a must a nurse take care of these four factors.

For instance, the person is most important, without the human being the nurse has no purpose, thus a person is the one to be treated, nurtured and cared for hence the aspect of human caring. The attitude of the nurse can affect the recovery of the patients. Nurses should always portray positive attitude toward the patients. The health of the patients should be an obligation to be carried out by the nurses. Different patients have different health conditions, which should be addressed differently. To maintain good interaction nurses need to range each person based on their health issues (Sitzman and Watson, 2013). A healthy environment should be created for all patients; they should be less depressed by their illness for a speedy recovery. Nurses should be present at all times to comfort and nurse the patients. In nursing, part of meta-paradigm shows compassion and the responsibility of nurturing care to the patients.

There is the essence of compassionate and caring (Vandenhouten, Rubsch, Murdock and Lehrer 2012). Carative Factors Watson theory of human caring was utilized in the caring moment, first by the practice of love, and kindness to self and others. He emphasized the need to be open with others, care for one’s self and others, validating the uniqueness of others and appreciating them. A strong relationship is built on accepting one another, honoring individual gifts and treating each other with loving kindness. In addition, demonstrate respect and recognize strengths and weaknesses in self and other (Sitzman & Watson 2013). The second carative factor is the instilling of faith and hope. One is needed to be authentically present and sustaining the system of one being nurtured and cared for.

By listening I was able to honor the patient’s beliefs and enable them to feel a sense of hope and faith. Human caring needs connection, interaction and encouraging others in the ability to go on with life, as well as viewing person as a human being and not an object. It makes it easier for self and others to believe in themselves and create an opportunity for silence and reflection (Smith, Turkel & Wolf 2012). The third one is the cultivation of sensitivity. It involves being sensitive to self and others by nurturing individual beliefs and religious practices. This ensures patient’s needs and feelings are adhered to, and a more trusting, caring and helpful relationship is created.

Healthy interactions are maintained by the ability to forgive self and others and more genuine interest in others (Sitzman, & Watson 2013). Perform responsibilities of giving care leading to healing processes and healing interactions. The fourth factor is promotion and acceptance of the expression of positive and negative feelings. This factor was highly emphasized in human caring. Being present and supportive of positive and negative feelings is a connection of inner self and the patients (Dossey, & Keegan 2013). I co-create a caring relationship with the support of caring environments to promote spiritual, emotional and physical growth. I was able to help others see good aspects of their situation by accepting and helping them deal with their negative feelings.

Conclusion

Watson’s theory of human caring gives nurses a platform to perform and demonstrate caring behaviors. The theory lays out an open act of caring, which is of major importance in the healing process. Human caring aspects have the ability to overpass the dynamics of human occurrences. The patient-nurse relationship holds the key to recovery. Watson in his school of thought said one has to take care of himself in order to take care of others and provide care and immense love.

References

Dossey, B. M, & Keegan, L. (2013). Holistic nursing: A handbook for practice. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning) Jesse, D. E., & Alligood, M. R. (2013). Watson’s philosophy and theory of transpersonal caring. Nursing theorists and their work, 79. McSherry. W, MSherry, R, & Watson, R. (Eds.). (2012). Care in Nursing: Principles, Values, and Skills. Oxford University Press. Sitzman, K., & Watson J. (2013). Caring Science, Mindful Practice: Implementing Watson’s Human Caring Theory. Springer Publishing Company. Smith, M. C., Turkel, M. C. & Wolf, Z. R. (Eds.). (2012). Caring in nursing classics: An essential resource. Springer Publishing Company. Vandenhouten, C., Kubsch, S. Peterson. M, Murdock. J, & Lehrer, L (2012). Watson’s Theory of Transpersonal Caring: Factors Impacting Nurses Professional Caring. Holistic nursing practice, 26(6), 326-334.