We all hear the word caring but what does caring really means? What does caring mean to you? How can care help heal the sick? These are many questions we can ask ourselves and the answers can be different for every person. To the world caring is probably the first description that comes to mind when describing a nurse. Yourdictionary.com describes caring as, “being someone or something that shows kindness and concern for others” (Yourdictionary.com, 2015). Nurses take care of patients and caring is one of their skills that is required to provide patient centered care though out their profession. This essay describes how caring can be so much more then just being loving and kind, how caring has been around for centuries and how nurses can avoid experience compassion burnout. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been in practice for thousands of years. TCM utilizes a natural holistic approach in treating the sick. In their practice, they utilize herbal medicines, and many different mind and body practices, such as acupuncture, massage, and yoga to help treat or prevent health problems. Their focus is on how a person’s body and mind relates to the environment, during the seasons, the changing in weather, the time of day, and how our diet, and our mental health state all comes into focus when healing a person. They believe that Ying and Yang must be imbalance to maintain health and that illness is the result of an imbalance between the two. Jean Watson’s theory follows the
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
Kristen M. Swanson’s Caring Theory is the solution in bridging the gap between nursing practice and theory. It offers an explanation of the links between patient well-being and the caring process (Tonges & Ray, 2011). Swanson explained that nurses should be able to demonstrate that they care about their patients, and that caring about their wellbeing is as important as their patients’ current medical problem (Tonges & Ray, 2011).
Caring is central to the nursing profession, as it a way to earn a patient/clients trust and respect. What makes a good nurse stand out from a great nurse, is adding on to the attributes associated with caring and taking that extra step to ensure a patient is comfortable and does not feel judged while they are receiving care. It is the little things. Strengthening the relationship between patient/clients and the nurse/caregiver is shown through actions displaying concern and devotion. This ensures that the nurse/caregiver gains trust by the patient/client and family. Patients/clients who may be especially vulnerable, can be wary of the competency and caring demeanor of a caregiver.
Bringing these two concepts together is like having an umbrella during a rain storm; individually they are helpful and necessary but together they are the perfect combination. Caring is that feeling deep down that drives nurses to strive for and promote the notion of human flourishing. To help patients achieve the best possible health that they can. It is important to utilize nursing skills of honesty, taking risks, critically thinking, compassion, creativity, and caring (MacCulloch, 2011). To care is to feel and understand what your patient is going through influencing action to help the patient achieve their best possible self, and then allow both the patient and one’s self to grow in every aspect of life; to flourish inside the body and as a member of the community.
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.
I believe at the heart of nursing is the provision of care. Caring is the fundamental tenet behind all that we do and say in our relationships with patients. Caring is a value I possess. Caring, is also a trait that must be nurtured and cultivated in all nurses to be therapeutic and of value to patients. Nurse educators facilitate students ' development of effective care.
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
The Oxford Dictionary defines caring as the work or practice of looking after, as well as, displaying kindness and concern for those who are unable to care for themselves, especially on account of age or illness. Meanwhile, Avant and Walker (2011) terms caring as an interpersonal process which requires an emotional commitment coupled with willingness to fulfill combined responsibilities and to be trustworthy enough to act on behalf of a person. In essence, it helps in developing great interpersonal relationship between the nurses and the patients in the healthcare centers in a systematic scientific manner.
Nursing is based on caring in nursing. Compassion and concern for protecting and enhancing the
When people think about nurses, many ideas come to mind. They think of the hideous old starched, white uniforms, a doctor’s handmaiden, the sexy or naughty nurse, or a torturer. The media and society have manipulated the identity and role of nurses. None of these ideas truly portray nurses and what they do. Nurses are with the patients more than the doctors. People do not realize how little they will encounter the doctor in the hospital until they are actually in the hospital. People quickly realize how important nurses are. Because nurses interact with their patients constantly, nurses are the ones who know the patients best.
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.
The framework used is made explicit and has been adapted by a previous theorist. The framework is detailed to clarify caring within a literature context (Enns, 2007). It conceptualizes that caring has both humanistic traits and physical behaviours from the perspectives of both the nurses and the patients (Enns, 2007). The research question is clearly stated as “(w)hat are the expressions of caring
TCM, or Traditional Chinese Medicine, can be traced as far back as 1000 BC, where stone acupuncture needles were believed to be used. Texts from that period also talked of Yin and Yang and other concepts. The first written work on TCM is titled the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic, Huangdi Newijing (Gascoigne 11). This book was written in 300 BC, but entries date back to the early 2700’s BC. The book is still used in universities of Chinese Medicine around the world and is often called the bible of TCM. Today, TCM is still thriving in China and all of Asia. In recent years, information on TCM has become available to people in the United States. The United States has several schools of TCM, and it is now much easier to buy the necessary
As it has been around for centuries, there are many procedures to treat your illness. The theory behind TCM, as said in Encyclopedia of natural Healing, is to start with a symptom, and then look for a specific cause of that illness.One method to help cure your ailment is to use the theory of Yin and Yang.Yin and Yang is what TCM doctors use to help with headaches, smale pain, aches, and tiredness. When a person has too much Yang, headaches will occur along with pain. If you have too much yin, you will experience tiredness or chills. Another popular method of TCM is acupuncture, a very common one this day. It is used to cure pain, and disease. The way it is used is based on the theory of meridians. Meridians are channels throughout the body where your qi can be blocked (Williams 47). Once your qi is blocked, you will experience a multitude of ailments. This is where acupuncture comes into play. TCM doctors lie you down on a table and then proceed to stick thin needles into your body where the meridians lie. By doing this, your qi will be unblocked and your symptoms and will quickly dissipate. Another common remedy are herbal concoctions, mixtures of different plants and animals to cure your ailment. Most herbal remedies consist of a chief, deputy, assistant, and an envoy (Schoenbeck 2035). Each mixture is different for every illness
Traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, is one of the oldest systems of medicine to exist among humans, and it is extremely prominent to this day. According to legend, the system has been in use since the third millennium BCE. The views of such an old system differ greatly from those found in modern western medicine. Perhaps most prominent is the fact that TCM focuses more on the patient than the illness. The system considers the human to be a microcosm of the universe, implying that the body is affected by the traditional Taoist forces of yin and yang, the five elements, and Qi in the same way the cosmos are. Each of these forces act upon the “zang fu,” or organ system, directly influencing a patient’s health. Healers use qigong to assist in the restoration of stability in the body. Achieving balance, both internally and externally, is the most important aspect of healing in TCM.