I do not ask the wounded person how he feels; I myself become the wounded person.” This quote by Walt Whitman truly demonstrates the appropriate behavior when treating patients. It is vital, that as a nurse, one must strive to be empathetic to provide top patient care. To be empathetic is to not pity the patient, but to feel and value what that person is feeling. This is a great level of human compassion that assists in therapeutic care. By exhibiting empathy in the nursing practice, one can improve the quality of care for the patient as well as increasing the quality of the nursing profession. A truly remarkable trait that separates humans from animals is our ability to experience empathy. Empathy is the ability to connect with the life of
If the patient is doing that then the nurse should not get dishearten but should find mean to handle that situation. Humility is when people are able to understand that no one is perfect. Furthermore people should always thank for the good things that come in their way rather than comparing oneself with others. It is always best to be proud of our own selves that at least you as person have done something good in life. Likability is when people are able to face or tackle problem in life. Nurses should be able to see other people’s point of view, i.e. how nurses are able to understand their situation. Like here you cannot always be correct but they have to take other peoples opinion. It is not always that one peoples opinion can be right but other peoples opinion can also be correct. For example a person has had an accident on the way and that person is bleeding and the nurse is in charge and the situation arises where the nurse thinks to do the treatment or not because when the nurse sees the blood she panics but actually the nurse should be brave enough to carry out the treatment during that particular time. Self awareness actually gives the ability to be open, and aware of how it impacts others.
The care that I will give my patient will also involve being empathic. This will enhance the development of the therapeutic relationship that will finally improve the outcomes. Compassion and empathy will make my patients more forthcoming with their symptoms. This yields accurate diagnosis. It also improves care given to patients. The interaction that takes place during this process affects the patient's recovery process. I also intend to cultivate a culture of trust between me and my patients. It has to be there for me to realize effective therapeutic relationship that leads to job satisfaction.
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
Not all patients are capable of independently identifying and articulate their care needs, so the nurse also adapts the role as an advocate. Clarity and continuity in a trusting environment enables good communication. Progressive identification of needs takes place as nurse and patient communicate with one another in the interpersonal relationship (Peplau 1988, p. 84). Being considerate to the needs and vulnerability of patients is a moral attribute, as nurses are accountable for the care they deliver.
The framework for creating a therapeutic relationship is built on the nurse’s ability to show empathy towards the client. Empathy is being able to put oneself in the patient’s shoes, to feel the same things they feel
Empathy is the ability to understand another person's viewpoint, to recognise and experience their feelings, and to be aware and understanding of their thoughts, from their perspective. When we are empathetic we allow ourselves to understand others and the intentions of others. Empathy requires that we connect with them and allows us to build a relationship with that person therefore empathy is also one of the most important forms of communication. By using empathy we are able to communicate better. Developing an empathic approach allows us to improve our communication skills. We can assume that when we take the time to understand
The art of human caring is one of the most essential parts of the nursing profession. Caring is not something that you learn to do, but something that is within you. In nursing, it is important to know what kind of nurse you want to be as well as the care you intend to provide to your patients. The patient is the center of nursing, and it is your responsibility to make sure they are receiving the best care that they can receive. One of the most important things is to be able to set aside personal beliefs and morals in order to provide patient centered care. The way that you approach and care for a patient is either going to make or break the effect of the care you will be implementing to the patient.
Empathy should play an active role in the daily lives of everyone, but in particular in the day-to-day lives of a healthcare professional. Healthcare professionals have the unique and challenging job of counseling patients in times of need, whether that is in the setting of a newly diagnosed disease or in the death of a family member. This unique challenge requires all healthcare professionals to be skilled at using empathy in the appropriate circumstances.
Caring can mean different things to different people, however, there are a few principles that are important to all such as empathy, compassion, respect and trust. The act of caring is shown initially by our exterior presence but our actions and personality is what portrays our caring ways. Growing up in a family with morals and beliefs, has taught me to be an approachable friendly person, having strong qualities of respect and compassion for others. Knowing one 's self, the acceptance of others comes naturally and eases formation of relationships. Understanding the caring needs of others, I will establish the nurse-patient relationship. Jean Watson, and many other nursing theorist, have defined caring as the central concept of nursing. Despite the unique and personal needs of each individual patient – there are key characteristics that the profession upholds. Throughout this paper, I will talk about what caring is and how it is different in the nursing industry.
A nursing career and caring for the sick intertwine inseparably. It requires a tremendous amount of compassion and empathy to care for those who are in need. My philosophy of care is to treat others with dignity, respect and compassion regardless of their race, ethnicity or cultural background. It’s about treating people the way you want to be treated and to understand that sometimes the best medicine of all is kindness. In addition, not only is it important to provide effective and competent care to all patients, it’s extremely crucial to provide care that is genuine and compassionate. All health care consumers should be receiving care that reflects their values and beliefs.
According to Burkhartd (), “compassion is the ability to imagine oneself in the situation of another” (p.50). Majority of the population has experienced a form of illness or another at some point in life. Previous encounters with particular situations help people to understand exactly what someone is going through. A nurse may come across a patient who is suffering from the same type of cancer that his/her grandfather once did or a child who fractured the same bone he/she did during childhood. Previous experiences don’t have to be lived to fully understand each situation, sometimes repetitious occurrences help. For example, the nurse could also understand a particular circumstance because he/she cared for many others who suffered from the same illness. It helps the nurse remember what if this were my grandfather, who was in the exact situation? What helped the most when that happened to me? These prior experiences bring about feelings of compassion and motivation to care for this patient with the best of his/her abilities. The essential nursing value of altruism also motivates people to help those in need. As a healthcare provider, it’s important to have faith in the human race and have a sincere concern for human beings. Without the concern for mankind there would be no desire to help those in
Although there are many aspects of the counseling relationship, the most important of these aspects is empathy. Empathy is the ability to truly comprehend the feelings of the client (Cormier, 2016). It is a true connection with the client that is real with a genuine desire to help the client. Empathy is almost an automatic emotion that some people possess, however a deeper understanding of the client goes beyond empathy is the principle of care, which is a higher cognitive function (Wilhelm, 2010). The principle of care is a more professionally trained form of empathy; utilizing a cognitive process of purposeful assessment of a client’s situation that adheres to a higher moral standard (Wilhelm, 2010). However, when the counselor does have
What makes the Human race different from species of animals on Earth? Is it the ability to think cognitively? Or may it be because our physical characteristics such as walking on two feet and having thumbs? While these may be true in some aspect one would agree that it is our ability to perceive and feel emotion, one of these emotions, empathy. Now establishing this how can empathy be gained from? From human interactions, through viewing others or is it through literature. Literature is an amazing gateway to perceiving empathy which inflicts emotion deep within us. Empathy is proven to arise from reading strong literature by scientific research, through "great books" which in turn also teach good morals, and in how it has changed my life completely.
Empathy is defined as the ability to communicate an understanding of a client’s feelings, and is a crucial component of the helping relationship (Boggs. 2011, p.106). Empathy is an essential concept to nursing practice as it allows the nurse to gain perspective in order to provide appropriate actions and interventions significant to that patient’s individual experience. In Tilda Shalof’s “A Nurses’ Story”, the author, a registered nurse in the intensive care unit (ICU), struggles with a particularly difficult patient case and must reflect upon her own values and subsequent judgments in order to provide adequate nursing care.
Social Justice is defined as “the equal distribution of opportunities, rights, and responsibility despite differences in physical traits and/or beliefs and behavior. It is an international and multifaceted issue that fights for better treatment and equality of people.” (“Pachamama Alliance,” 2017). According to this definition, my understanding of social justice is that it is a way to advocate for other individuals in order to assist their needs in society. For example, I would want to advocate for Hispanic mothers and children who have been through abuse. My empathy towards this group started because of my personal history with an abusive father who suffered from alcoholism. “Empathy involves thinking about a person and the challenges he or she is facing and coming to understand what it is like for that person to have that experience.” (Cameron & Keenan, 2013, p. 72).