...Watson's Theory of Human Caring Paper Allison M Wood, RN NUR/403 March 17, 2012 Shoni Davis, RN DNSc Watson's Theory of Human Caring Paper Dr. Jean Watson was born in West Virginia and has resided in Boulder, Colorado, since 1962. She earned her undergraduate degree in nursing and psychology, her master’s degree in psychiatric-mental health nursing, and her Ph.D. in educational psychology and counseling from the University of Colorado. She is currently a Professor of Nursing and the Murchinson-Scoville Chair in Caring Science at the University of Colorado (Cara, 2003). Dr. Watson is the founder of the Center for Human Caring in Colorado and is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. She has received a number of national and international honors, and honorary doctoral degrees. She has published various works relating her theory of human caring, which have been studied by nurses and nursing students over the world. According to Watson (2001), the chief essentials of her theory are (a) the carative factors, (b) the transpersonal caring relationship, and (c) the caring moment. Carative Factors Watson first developed the “carative factors” as taxonomy of interventions in 1979, which she views as a constitution of the foundation of nursing when all of the medical techniques and technologies are removed (Sourial, 1995). She further assembled these ideas into a nursing...
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...Watson’s Theory of Caring Jane A. Festejo University of Phoenix NUR/403: Theories and Models in Nursing Practice July 29, 2010 Vicki Grosdidier, RN, MSN, CNM Watson’s Theory of Caring Many nursing scholars have developed theories on caring not only because it is essential to the profession of nursing, but because it is a universal phenomenon that influences how every human being thinks, feels, and behaves. Unfortunately, due to the hectic and fast-paced health care environment in today’s world, the opportunity to develop an interpersonal and therapeutic relationship with the patient is often pushed aside by the demands of treating the disease itself rather than the patient as a mind, body, and spirit. Little time is often left to allow nurses to treat their patients as an individual, and may lead to the misinterpretation of the health care as a cold and indifferent profession. The numerous theories of nursing relating to the concept of caring have been developed because of the necessity to refocus the purpose of nursing from technology and cost-effective strategies to what the real meaning of nursing is. No matter what race, religion, sex, health state, or socioeconomic status may be, it remains a basic human need to receive and give care. One such theory that focuses on caring as central to nursing is Jean Watson’s Theory of Caring. The development of Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring began with the simple question of defining what the relationship between a...
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...following matrix was developed as a job aid to provide guidelines for client care in the adult medical daycare environment and is based on the transpersonal caring theory developed by Dr. Jean Watson. Dr. Watson ‘s theory strives to address such issues as depersonalization and disconnectedness by reintroducing ethics and love into nursing, two elements essential for healing. Dr. Watson implies that clients can experience greater positive outcomes by tapping into an already present value system, by increasing compliance, and participation in health promotion activities. Dr. Watson’s approach focuses on the whole client rather than parts. Her approach is holistic, encompassing spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of both the client and the caregivers, and it divided into 10 groups called carative processes or “caritas.” These carative processes not only provide for basic physical human needs but Dr. Watson’s theory also includes provisions for valuation and support, learning...
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...Background of Watson’s Theory: Watson’s Caring Theory originated from her writings in a textbook that was used for a nursing curriculum in Colorado. In her writings the question between the relationship of nursing and human caring gave way to what is now her Theory of Human Caring. Her writings posed as the foundation of what became her theory. Alligood states, “ Watson defines caring as the ethical and moral idea of nursing that has interpersonal and humanistic qualities ” ( Alligood, 2010 ). Watson’s theory focused on the art of caring for the patient entirely. This involved the mind, body and spirit. Her theory provides a model for nursing, allowing nurses to give quality care to patients in every aspect of the person. Watson’s Theory of Human Caring is divided into three elements: the element of transpersonal caring, the element of Carative factors. The element of transpersonal caring gears towards going beyond caring for the patient’s health and includes caring for their humanity. The element of Carative factors are the framework that provides meaning to nursing in general. They are a set of guidelines that promote caring for the patient entirely. The element of the caring moment occurs when the nurse and patient form a human to human transaction that involves caring for the mind, body and spirit. The Caring Moment: The caring moment is defined as coming together in a moment that provides the opportunity for human caring to occur. ( Alligood, 2010). The caring moment...
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...Jean Watson’s Caring Theory Nurses’ responsibilities to their patients are continually changing with the times. Jean Watson formed the “caring theory” to convey the significance and emphasize nursing as a diverse health profession. Using the Jean Watson’s caring theory enables nurses to maintain their perspective on caring for patients when overwhelmed with increased acuity, responsibility and workload. With the increase of patients and their needs, nurses often replace the caring attitude with an attitude of arrogance and hurried tasks, leaving patients and family members with belief that nurses believe they are here just to perform a job. By applying the Watson caring theory in caring for patients, “it allows nurses to practice the art of caring, to provide compassion to ease patients’ and families’ suffering, and to promote their healing and dignity but it can also contribute to expand the nurse’s own actualization” (Cara, 2003, p 2). Watson believes it is crucial that nurses apply caring values to their practice because it is essentially a byproduct in discovering the meaning of the nursing profession (Theory of Human Caring, n.d.). The foundation of this paper is to expound on the caring theory Jean Watson designed “to bring meaning and focus to nursing as a distinct health profession” (Cara, 2003, p 2). Description of the Theorist In the 1940’s, Jean Watson was born in West Virginia in a small town in the Appalachian Mountains. In 1961, graduated from the Lewis Gale...
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...Watson’s Theory of Human Caring Nursing has a vast history, and throughout time nursing has adapted and grown to meet the needs of its people. There are some nurses whom are well known and even in history books. These nurses noticed something missing and attempted to fill that gap. Nursing theories came about to help close the gap. Because no two people are exactly alike the theories offer ways a nurse can identify and attempt to meet the needs of his or her patients. Jean Watson is one of those nurses who formed a theory to help fill in a missing piece and close the gap to help nurses assist patients with adapting to, and accepting changes in their health statuses. Jean Watson is not only a nurse, but a nursing instructor, and a published writer as well. She educated future nursing students at the University of Colorado. That is where she unintentionally formed her theory, the Theory of Human Caring, in order to be able to help her nursing students learn. She did not intend to become a theorist, but she has educated many nurses personally and now through her writings and her theory that the nurse is the main component of the patient’s environment (Alligood, 2010). The theory shows that the nurse should know his or her own perspectives and be open to the patient’s perspectives, thus building the caring nurse-patient relationship. The nurse can either help or interfere with the patient’s healing process. Watson will now help nurses much further than she ever imagined...
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...Watson's Theory of Human Caring Sandra Middlestate NUR/403 April 16, 2012 Watson's Theory of Human Caring In this paper on Watson’s theory of human caring it will briefly describe the theories background and concepts. In discussion of an actual nurse patient event I have had in Obstetrics it will analyze major theory assumptions related to person, health, nursing and environment in the context of this caring moment, along with a personal reflection of this caring moment. Born in West Virginia theorist Jean Watson has had a very distinguished career, as a nurse educator and researcher in the area of “human caring and loss” (Nursing Theories, 2012, p.1). Beginning her education with a BSN from University of Colorado in 1964, she then acquired her MS from there in 1966 and her PhD in 1973. She has traveled and studied extensively around the world and in the mid 1970’s began putting pen to paper. In 1988, after creating a guide for nurses “published her theory in nursing human science and human care.” (Nursing Theories, 2012, p.1) Watson’s theory of human caring has grown for the last 30 years. As per Alligood (2010, p. 36) three factors make her theory distinctive. First is when the nurse and patient have a caring moment, and create an experience in each other’s life. Second it distinguishes the magnitude of the mind body-spirit while not impeding the wholeness of the person. Third it clearly recognizes many ways of knowing, this includes...
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...Watson’s Theory of Human Caring Watson’s Theory of Human Caring Introduction Human caring is what sets nursing apart from other professions. As Watson (1998) stated, “care and love are the most universal, the most tremendous and the most mysterious of cosmic forces: they comprise the primal universal psychic energy. Caring is the essence of nursing and the most central and unifying focus for nursing practice” (p. 32-33). It is important to establish a good nurse-patient relationship in order to create a healing environment that would meet patient’s needs on all levels including physical, mental/emotional and spiritual, promote recovery, maintain health, and create positive outcomes. Jean Watson emphasized the importance of human caring and how it influenced nursing practice. This paper aims to define caring moment, discuss background and major concepts of Watson’s theory of human caring, and describe a clinical experience of a patient-nurse interaction with personal reflection. Caring Moment The caring moment happens when the nurse and patient come together with their unique life histories and enter into the human-to-human transaction in a given focal point in space and time (Caruso, Cisar, & Pipe, 2008). The actual caring occasion has a greater field of its own in a given moment; the process goes beyond itself, yet arises from aspects of itself that become part of the life history of each person, as well as part of some larger, more complex pattern of life (Watson...
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...Throughout each nurse’s career, many theories and models have directed the individual practices throughout every specific field of nursing. One of the theories that not only directs a nurse’s practice, but also continues to be a positive influence to the practice is Watson’s theory of human caring. The utilization of Watson’s theory of human caring is extremely relevant within the critical care arena, specifically because of the high acuity of the patient population. The practical application of this theory is explored utilizing several important elements to describe a personal interaction between the patient populations. The Caring Moment Defined Watson (2012) defines the caring moment as, “An actual caring moment occasion involves action and choice both by the nurse and the individual. The moment of coming together in a caring moment occasion presents the two persons with the opportunity to decide how to be in the relationship—what to do with the moment” (p. 71). She further explains that if the moment is spiritual then the chance of openness can occur, making the relationship limitless (Watson, 2012). The successfulness of a caring moment allows the human to human interaction to occur, regardless of the personal and social backgrounds of the participants. In each interaction, the participants display different feelings, thoughts, expectations, spiritual beliefs, environmental respects and individual implications. The historical situations that precede the interaction...
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...nursing profession by defining the goals of nursing in an organization. I have picked Jean Watson’s Theory of Nursing: Human Science and Human Care. Her innovative nursing ideas and core principles for patient care in the hospitals and their communities have steered the nursing profession into providing optimal and holistic care for their patients. In 1988, Jean Watson's "Nursing: Human Science and Human Care" theory had created a new holistic care approach for the nursing discipline. This evolving new nursing approach rapidly became an interdisciplinary field of study that had relevance to all human service professions. Her Ten Caritas Processes includes: practicing loving-kindness with self and others; being authentically present; cultivating one's own spiritual practice f; being sensitive to the expression of positive and negative feelings of self and others; developing trusting-caring relationships; using scientific problem-solving methods for care decision making; engaging in a genuine teaching-learning experience that attends to unity of being; creating healing environments; assisting with basic physical, emotional, and spiritual needs; opening to mystery and allowing miracles to enter (George, 2010). These caritas acknowledge the unity of life and connections that move in the circle of caring- from individual, to others, to the community, to the world, and to the universe. Watson’s view of a human being is that of a “valued person in and of himself or herself” who needs...
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...Jean Watson’s Theory of Caring Analaura Rodriguez NUR 403 September 12, 2011 Kimberly Frommel For years caring and nursing have been interconnected. Most people choose nursing because of their passion to care for others and that is why this has led to caring being a central part of nursing and has opened the doors to the development of several caring theories. One well known caring theory was developed in the 1970’s by an American nursing scholar and nursing theorist named Dr. Jean Watson. Her theory is called “The Theory of Human Caring”. Dr. Jean Watson was born in West Virginia, but currently resides in Boulder, Colorado since 1962. She attended the University of Colorado where she completed her undergraduate degree in nursing and psychology. Shortly after that, Dr. Watson continues her studies and earned a master’s degree in psychiatric –mental health nursing. Dr. Watson ultimately received her PHD degree in educational psychology and counseling. She is currently a Professor of Nursing and the Murchinson-Scoville Chair in Caring Sciences at the University of Colorado, School of Nursing and is the founder of the Center for Human Caring in Colorado (Cara, 1999). Dr. Watson has received many recognitions including national, international, and doctoral degrees. There are many books that she has published explaining her philosophy and theory of human caring. Jean Watson’s theory states that nurses should view the patient as both a physical and spiritual...
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...Watson's Theory of Human Caring Iris Wilkins University of Phoenix Nursing Theory 403 Dr. Elizabeth Wider May 12, 2014 Watson's Theory of Human Caring Dr. Jean Watson was born in Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia in the 1940s. She graduated from the Lewis Gale School of Nursing in Roanoke Virginia in 1961.She progressed through her nursing education by obtaining her bachelor’s degree in 1964, a master of science in nursing in psychiatric and mental health nursing in 1966, and a Ph.D. in educational psychology and counseling in 1973, all from the University of Colorado at Boulder. (McEwen & Wills, 2007). Today she serves as a legendary Professor of Nursing and holds an endowed Chair in Caring Science at the University of Colorado and is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. She is the author of more than 14 books on caring and holds six honorary doctorates. Recently she founded Watson Caring Science Institute, a nonprofit organization developed to help spread her nursing theory and ideas. (Cara n.d.). In 1979, Dr. Watson established the Theory of Human Caring, her theory is the cornerstone guiding personal and professional nursing practices today. Her philosophical beliefs are based on morals/ethics and grounded in a foundation of having love for your fellow man. Her theory has three primary concepts, carative factors, transpersonal caring relationships and caring occasion or caring moment. Watson (1988). “According to Watson (1988) a caring...
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...Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring Jessamie Garvin University of Phoenix NUR/403 Theories and Models of Nursing Practice July 1, 2014 Instructor: Mega Deol Watson's Theory of Human Caring In today’s fast-paced and technology centered health care environment, nurses remain at the cornerstone of care by providing care, practicing the core concepts of nursing, and maintaining the caring models. To assist us in providing quality care we have theorists like Jean Watson whose theories influence and guide us in providing exceptional patient care. In this paper I will discuss Jean Watson’s theory of human caring including the background and the major concepts of her theory. In addition, I will discuss her theory and views of the nursing metaparadigms of person, health, nursing and environment as they relate to a personal experience in which I utilized Watson’s theory to cultivate a caring moment with a patient. Describe the background and major concepts of Watson’s theory of human caring. According to Jean Watson her philosophy and science of caring in nursing emerged from her quest to bring new meaning and dignity to the work and the world of nursing and patient care (Watson, 2008). Beginning with the question of the relationship between human caring and nursing, she developed The Theory of Human Caring and the Philosophy and science of caring. Watson defines caring as the ethical and moral ideal of nursing that has interpersonal...
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...Watson's Theory of Human Caring Watson's Theory of Human Caring Theory of caring, Watson has taught me how healthcare providers should practice loving, and kindness to our patients and others. Watson’s theory is not only for patients, but it is for everyone who works in the healthcare industry. Loving, and caring for each other would establish a trusting relationship that will be remembered for a long time. There are four carative factors that I practice on daily basis which they are the humanistic-altruistic system of values, development of sensitivity to oneself and others, promoting and accepting the expression of positive and negative feelings, and the supportive, protective, and/or corrective mental, physical, societal, and spiritual environment. I am going to represent an example of how I have been practicing these four carative factors on daily nursing basis. Caring Moment Watson (2006) described caring as, “acknowledged as transpersonal, involved with the one caring as well as the one being cared for, and it is mutual” (p 90). According to Watson in the caring moment, this moment can become a part of our life history for each other, and the relationship will form deeper between nurse and patient. The caring moment will initiate a healing ability. Nurses will need to show that they really care for their patients during this historical moment by listening to patient attentively, acknowledge how the patients feel, and make eye contact. Alligood (2010) stated...
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...Watson's Theory of Human Caring Paper NUR 403 Watson's Theory of Human Caring Paper A caring moment occurs whenever a nurse and patient come together with their unique life histories and extraordinary experiences in a human to human transaction. These moments can be verbal or nonverbal. Examples of nonverbal moments can be as simple as a smile or touch for encouragement or more complex such as preparing their body after death for the family to view. Examples of verbal moments can occur when speaking softly to a new born baby, encouraging the patient to express their concerns and fears or simply by telling them goodbye at their time of death. We need to consider that a caring moment can be different for every patient depending on their needs, concerns and emotional status. According to Jean Watson, this human to human connection expands our compassion and caring and keeps alive our common humanity. The major concepts in Watson's theory include the Human being, Health, Environment or society and Nursing. A human being is a valued person to be cared for, respected, nurtured, understood and assisted. Health is considered to be a unity and harmony within the mind, body and soul; health is associated with the degree of congruence between the self as perceived and the self as experienced. Environment or society provides the values that determine how one should behave and what goals one should strive toward. Nursing is referred to as human science of persons and...
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