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Watson's Theory of Human Caring

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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 human health- illness experiences that are mediated by professional, personal, scientific, and of ethical human care.
How do I apply Watson's theory in my patient care? I feel that showing the patient that you are truly concerned about their well-being is important. You have to gain their trust, and this can be achieved by simply talking to them not at them. I can always recall a nursing

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