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Jean Watson’s human caring theory

NUR 405

May 23, 2011

Dr. Carol King, DNP, RN, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC

The caring theory was grounded on a humanitarian perspective and is found on a humanistic approach toward human caring programs and experiences. It acknowledges that life with individuals and their community to the surrounding environment are somehow connect and affects wellbeing of everything involved. The nature of the theory caring implies that it embraces reflective investigations as well subjective and interpretative inquiries. The nursing profession uses nursing theories as the framework and foundation for practice. Many people find nursing theories to be meaningless and of no use to the profession until they learn the history and meaning behind nursing theories. Nursing theories aid nurses by improving patient care and enhancing communication between members. “The theory of human caring was initiated by Jean Watson in the late 1970s. Jean Watson was a nursing professor at Colorado University. Dr. Jean Watson is Distinguished Professor of Nursing and holds a Chair in Caring Science at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She is founder of the original Center for Human Caring in Colorado and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She previously served as Dean of Nursing at the university Health Sciences Center and is a previous president of the National League for Nursing” (Watson, 1979, p. 8). The Human caring theory evolved around 1985 through 1988. She revisited Nightingales fundamental understanding of nursing, Watson gives credence to the integration of many of Nightingales core principles to formulate an evolving transpersonal caring-healing paradigm supported by unitary caring science theory. The human caring theory is based on the transpersonal approach to understand the healing process.

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