Caring in Nursing

For centuries the development of nursing knowledge has been influenced by numerous theorists and their respective theories. These theories have influenced, and continue to influence, nursing education, practice and research. (Johnson & Webber, 2005)

Regrettably, the existence of nursing depends on the medical inadequacy of others. Unfortunately, nursing exists because people get hurt, cannot care for themselves, or need assistance with daily activities. Carol Taylor (2011), author of Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art and Science of Nursing Care, writes, “Nursing care involves any number of activities, from carrying out complicated technical procedures to something as seemingly as holding a hand” (p. 5). Taylor explains it is the duty of a nurse not only to learn the pertinent skills but also to bond with and comfort others. Nurses have to do and become many things: They must be stern when necessary, compassionate when needed, open minded

Nursing is about gaining and understanding concepts which can be applied in professional nursing practice. These concepts are important in professional caring because they provide tremendous benefits in promoting the quality of health and well-being of the patient. Professional caring has been identified by nursing theorist as the essence of nursing, and as a process of interaction and communication in nursing (Locsin, 1995). Professional caring is depicted through empathy, respect, and mutuality, qualities that enhance trust and personhood (Chinn & Kramer, 2008; Watson, 1979). Nursing has primarily focused on empathy as a major component of the helping relationship and the essence of professional caring (Kristjansdottir

According to the American Nurses Association, “Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (ANA, 2010b). Nursing has come a long ways. From primitive times when caring for the sick was predominantly the rule of medicine-men who acquired the skills from their ancestors, to the era when it was viewed as a mean profession for prostitutes and nowadays when it is considered a noble profession with trained and skilled personnel.

Without nursing history, nursing would not be the same. For example, Nightingale’s thirteen tenets set the basis of nursing. All these tenets become apparent while promoting health, preventing illness, and while providing care for clients. Additionally, Carper’s four fundamental ways of knowing allows us, as nurses, to think critically, provide holistic care (also apart of Waton’s theory), build therapeutic relationships, follow the code of ethics, and also encourage us to extrapolate data effectively. Nonetheless, Paterson and Zderad, as well as Leininger, set the foundation for nurses to care for each client as their own, using a humanistic, existentialistic, and culturally sensitive approach. Generally, each of these theories allow nurses to acquire new knowledge and skills, altering thoughts and emotions, ultimately enabling us to apply our newfound knowledge into real life situations, which will prove useful in clinical placements next

Patients and Healers was well thought out, describing women's roles in medicine throughout the ages. As Elizabeth Blackwell stated, “women are nurturers by nature and this is why they were suitable to practice medicine” 2. During the 18th and 19th centuries, when a woman was treated for an illness, she was treated in the same manner as her male counterpart. As a patient, it was really up to these women of medicine to make it known

In today's’ era, nurses have more responsibility than before. They are held responsible for their actions. Today’s nursing is based on basic needs of patients. Critical thinking plays an important role in nursing. Nurses are required to think and act immediately in the emergency situations. A good communication between provider is must. This could avoid the incidents to happen. Although technology has been improved as well in the past years. Now a day hospitals are more equipped than past years. The science has gone beyond the inventions to cure untreatable diseases. The art of nursing depends on how to promote wellness, to prevent illness, to facilitate coping, and to restore health. Nurses can achieve all those goals by taking a role of caregiver, educator, collaborator, advocate, and manager (Dewit O’ Neill. 4th Ed. Pg. 3-4). No one else beside nurses can better know their patients.

This paper brings up my personal nursing philosophy I am planning to deliver in my nursing career. I believe that nursing is more than merely as a profession but also involving my medical knowledge combining it with a commitment to quality nursing care with compassion, respect, dignity, advocacy of each patient. I believe that the interdisciplinary care and collaboration in the medical field are crucial that leads to a healthy relationship among healthcare professionals in promoting quality patient care that is individualized to each patient’s needs.

Nationally, nursing has become one of the most flourishing and outstanding occupations in the medical field. Years ago, nurses were discriminated by people because they provided care for ill individuals, which was against social law. The term nursing has been generalized to helping others who are sick. However, nursing is more than an oversimplified definition. This paper will examine the role of nurse: interview of a nurse, nursing theorist, and my personalized definition and philosophy of nursing.

Advocacy is in their blood – they fight the good fight, whether self-righteously, or thoughtfully. It is interesting to note that adventurous spinsters were the backbone of healthcare in poorer districts and rural settings (pp. 2,3). Social mores have changed luckily. Gender biases have somewhat lessened. I am also a nurse, despite being male – I do have two vestigial nipples – they are there to confirm that nurturing and caring is a shared responsibility…

The word ‘nurse’ derives from the Scottish word, ‘nourice’, which means ‘one who nourishes’ (Hartson 2015). The career of nursing is evolving to take on more complex connotations relating to providing comfort, obtaining knowledge, and promoting wellness. Nursing takes part in many different roles and aspects of what they are responsible for when taking care of patients. The first job a nurse has with a new patient is to form patient nurse relationship as Hildegard Peplau’s theory is based on (Black 2014) . Generally, physical comfort is the primary goal, but that needs to have support from other areas of comfort.

The profession of nursing has matured from the time of Florence Nightingale. Nursing has gone from just treating dying soldiers on the battlefield to helping guide people through their entire lives from birth to death. The maturation of nursing has led to changes in nursing philosophy and allowed for practitioners of Nursing to meld these philosophies together to form their own philosophy. In this paper I will explain my philosophy of nursing and compare it to Virginia Henderson 's definition of nursing along with discussing some of the changes to Nurse philosophy I will also discuss some of the difficulties to being a patient advocate.

This is essay is going to examine the principles of nursing and health. In order to do this it must look at the concept of health then describe the dimensions that make up health. Secondly, an adult individual will be chosen in order to discuss the determinants that affect their health. It will then go on to explain the underpinning professional, ethical and legal principles that would be taken into consideration if the individual were to require nursing care. Finally, it will identify how carrying out this assignment has informed the writers personal concept of nursing.

The salient point in Henderson’s definition is describing the duty of a nurse as one that cares or assists an individual whether sick or well in obtaining a state of health in order to live an independent lifestyle (paraphrased). Henderson also described the independent and dependent role of nurses and the importance of a collaborative work with the other members of the multi-disciplinary health care team especially the doctors (Henderson, 1966). The Royal College of Nursing, on the other hand, described nursing as the utilization of clinical judgement in extending the care necessary for the people to maintain and achieve an optimum state of life throughout their lifetime (RCN, 2003). Other significant definitions of nursing were those given by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Nurses Association (ANA).

     “Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, It requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation, as any painter´s or sculptor´s work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God´s spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts.” Spoken by a true nurse, Florence Nightingale; a pioneer of nursing and a reformer of hospital sanitation methods.