IMPRORTANCE OF THEORY: JEAN WATSON’S CARING THEORY
NR 501
Teresa Acosta
Chamberlain College of Nursing

IMPRORTANCE OF THEORY: Jean Watson’s Caring Theory
Currently, healthcare systems all over the world are experiencing some sort of reorganization at the administration level. Things are changing, practice and healthcare policy continue to transform at a rapid rate. Nursing theory has worked to provide stability and rationality to the ever changing field of nursing. The profession of nursing, just like any other profession, must work to prove the legitimacy of its practice which is accomplished through the confines of theory (McCrae, 2012). According to Alligood (2014), nursing theory not only fosters the development of nursing education and literature but also assists in practice advancement. This is important for laying a foundation and progressing in the field of nursing and helps to provide the basic knowledge for nursing care that involves “caring”.
With all the change and uncertainty in healthcare, human caring has the potential to become a lost cause (Cara, 2003). Caring should be a central theme in nursing and the foundation of all nursing care (Watson, 2009). The goal of this paper is to explore and summarize the central ideas of Jean Watson’s Theory of Caring and to apply her theory to current practice and show its relevance to nursing education.
Importance of Watson’s Theory of Caring Nursing care is made up of many factors, to include, knowledge, influence, experience, ethics and much more. Considering all that nursing is and does, a particular theory can paint a grand picture of what nursing care should be. Holistic nursing practice often generates from nursing knowledge, theories, expertise,