“Maybe this one moment, with
this one person, is the very
reason we’re here on earth at
this time.”
From
“the Caring Moment” by Jean Watson
Nurses deal with increased acuity and complex
cases in today’s health care situations. As a
result of high stress and common
understaffing situations, nurses must find
ways to preserve caring in their practice.
Jean Watsons theory provides indispensable
tools to protect the caring aspect of nursing
practice.
 graduated
from the Lewis Gale School of
nursing in Roanoke, Virginia in 1961
 earned her baccalaureate degree from
the University of Colorado in 1964
 earned her master’s degree in psychiatric
mental health nursing in 1966 and
continued her education by earning a
doctorate degree in educational
psychology and counseling in 1973
 Felt
nursing education was focused on
“curing” rather that caring
 Developed the word “carative” to rival the
medical aspect of curative
 Watson believes “human caring is an
experience which is invisible and often
neglected within conventional models and
practices of medical science.”
 the phenomenon and practice of human
caring and healing, are the essence of
nursing practice and foundational to
sustaining life itself.
 Jean
Watson believes in caring for patients
through a holistic approach.
 Treat
the patient not the diagnosis
 Nurses
should heal not only the body but also
the mind and the spirit
 Western
and Eastern Medical Viewpoints
 Other Nursing Theorists:






Nightingale’s Environment Theory
Henderson’s Need Theory
Leininger’s Transcultural Nursing theory
Peplau’s The Theory of Interpersonal Relations
Roger’s Science of Unitary Human Beings Theory
Newman's Health as Expanding Consciousness
Theory
 Transpersonal


human caring
is scientific, professional, ethical, creative and
personalized caring behaviors between nurse
and patient.
Carative factors are used as a model to
understand nursing as the science of caring.
 These factors are aimed to help a person
maintain health or to die a peaceful death.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
The formation of Humanistic-altruistic system of values
The installation of faith-hope
The cultivation of sensitivity to one’s self and to others
The development of a helping-trust relationship
The promotion and acceptance of the expression of
positive and negative feelings.
The systematic use of the scientific problem-solving
method for decision making
The promotion of interpersonal teaching-learning
The provision for a supportive, protective and corrective
mental, physical, socio-cultural and spiritual
environment.
Assistance with the gratification of human needs.
The allowance for existential-phenomenological forces.
 focus
is on the patient rather than
technology or condition focused
 allows
for the nurse to practice the art of
caring and also has concerns for the
caregiver
 Watson’s
theory easy to understand and to
place into practice
 too
heavy on the psychosocial and lacking on
the pathophysiological aspects of nursing
 falls
short of giving direction on achieving
caring-healing relationships
 With
the increasing work load demands of
nurses today, it possibly could take too much
time to incorporate into practice
 Human
being refers to “….. a valued person
in and of him or herself to be cared for,
respected, nurtured, understood and
assisted; in general a philosophical view of a
person as a fully functional integrated self.
He, human is viewed as greater than and
different from, the sum of his or her parts”.
Currentnursing (2012). Nursing Theories. Jean Watson's philosophy of nursing. Retrieved
July1, 2013 from: http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/Watson.html
 Tell
me about yourself?
 Tell me about your life experiences?
 Tell me about your bodily sensations?
 Tell me about your spiritual and cultural
beliefs?
 Tell me about your goals and expectations?
 Watson
adds the following three elements to
WHO definition of health:



A high level of overall physical, mental and social
functioning
A general adaptive-maintenance level of daily
functioning
The absence of illness (or the presence of efforts
that leads it’s absence) (currentnursing, 2012).
 Tell
me about your health?
 What is it like to be in your situation?
 Tell me how you perceive yourself in this
situation?
 What meaning are you giving to this
situation?
 Tell me about your health priorities?
 Tell me about the harmony you wish to
reach?
 According
to Watson, caring (and nursing) has
existed in every society. A caring attitude is
not transmitted from generation to
generation (currentnursing, 2012).
 It is transmitted by the culture of the
profession as a unique way of coping with its
environment(currentnursing, 2012).
“Nursing is concerned with promoting health,
preventing illness, caring for the sick and
restoring health” (currentnursing, 2012).
 It focuses on health promotion and treatment of
disease. She believes that holistic health care is
central to the practice of caring in nursing
(currentnursing, 2012).
 She defines nursing as…..
“a human science of persons and human healthillness experiences that are mediated by
professional, personal, scientific, esthetic and
ethical human transactions” (currentnursing,
2012). .
What is the meaning of caring for the persons
and their families? For myself?
 How do I express my caring consciousness and
commitment to the persons and their families?
To working colleagues? To other health care
professionals? To my superiors? To the institution?
 How do I define the person, environment,
health/healing, and nursing?
 How do I make a difference in people’s life and
suffering?
 How can I be informed by the clinical caritas
processes in my practice?
 How can I be inspired by Watson’s caring theory
in my practice?

 Treat
the patients body, mind, and spirit
 Establish a caring relationship with patients
 Display unconditional acceptance
 Treat patients with a positive regard
 Display unconditional acceptance
 Treat patients with a positive regard
 Promote health through knowledge and
intervention
 Spend uninterrupted time with
patients:”caring Moments
 The
nurse and patient make contact.
 “the nurse enters the patient’s room,” a
feeling of expectation is created.
 Watson also believes these moments
transform both the patient and nurse and
that they are linked together.

Jean Watsons theory
can be used in labor
and delivery. The
nurse has a huge
impact on providing
nursing care to a
mother and child
during the labor and
postpartum process
by allowing the
mother to express her
needs regarding to
topics that include
physical, social, or
mental troubles.

Watsons theory can
be used in a hospital
setting or in a home
setting that includes
hospices care. During
the healing or dying
processes the nurse
provides care that
creates an
environment that is
caring and supports
the patient and
family members
needs.

Jean Watson’s theory
focuses on human to
human relationships
that provide a holistic
healing approach.
This theory can be
used in more than one
area of nursing that
includes ob, medical
surgical floor, surgery,
in home health care,
and hospice care.

Case Study:

A 32 year old expecting mother presents to the
Obstetrics department after she fell on the ice on the
pavement. She presents to the department anxious,
tearful with complaints of no fetal movement, and
mild abdominal pain. Her history showed she is 37
weeks pregnant, Gravid 2, Para 0, and spontaneous
abortion 1. The patients vitals signs are elevated with
BP:175/89, HR:120, Respiration 28, Temp:97.8 . You
place the mother on the monitor and you obtain a
reactive fetal heart tones. You note the patient is
contracting every 3-4 minutes and palpates
moderate. You obtain the patient’s history, and do a
sterile exam and find the patients dilated to 4 and
90% thinned. The patients husband arrives and now is
at the bed side. You leave the room to notify the
doctor your assessment.
1. Apply Jean Watson’s theory, what question would
help the nurse question the patient about her life
situation?
a. Tell me about your spiritual and cultural beliefs?
b. Do you have any allergies?
c. How often have you seen the doctor within the last
week?
2. Based on Watson’s caring theory, what would be
one a nursing intervention for the patient?
a. Place the fetal monitor on the patient and tell her
there will be some test taken soon.
b. Establish a transpersonal caring relationship with the
patient so she can express her feelings towards the
situation.
c. Tell the patient she will be fine, take her vitals, and
leave the room.
3. As the nurse, what interventions would use
to make the patient feel comfortable using
Watson’s theory?
a. Develop and sustain trusting caring relationship
b. Creating healing environment on all levels.( mind, body,& sprit)
c. Get the patient extra pillows, something to eat/drink, and
provide ordered pain medication.
d. A & B
e. All of the above
..\..\..\..\..\..\..\Music\caring_moment.mp3

"No one was giving voice to the human experience," says Dr. Watson. "I
was longing for intellectual theories or values or a conceptual framework
of what was happening with patient care and the human-to-human
relationships."

Rather than perform their jobs by rote, the human caring philosophy and
theory, combined with an expanded model of caring science, gives nurses
the space to reflect on the disciplinary-ethical foundation of their
practices and experience themselves as healers.

"That's their calling," Dr. Watson says. "This work is consistent with the
visionary Nightingale model of nursing. You should see some of the emails from people who are thinking about leaving the profession. It gives
purpose and meaning to their world on a deep level

Petrovski, L. (2012). All you need is love (and human caring): transforming
health care one nurse, one hospital at a time . Colorado Nurse , 112(2),
Retrieved from http://0go.galegroup.com.libcat.ferris.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA293351743&v=2.1
&u=lom_ferrissu&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

..\All_you_need_is_love__and_human caring.PDF

The online version of this article can be found at:
http://nsq.sagepub.com/content/24/1/27

Watson’s theory focuses on holistic care and caregivers to
patients relationships. This article describes Watson’s theory
using a practice model. As described in the article Nurses and
patients need to be connected in a relationship that enhances
healing. Nurses perform tasks that become routine and can be
performed without compassion. It is important for bedside
nurse to understand caring theory in depth and use the tools in
their daily practice to promote the patients healing process.

Lukose, A. (2011). Developing a practice model for watson's theory of caring . Nursing Science Quarterly, 24(1), 27-30. doi:
10.1177/0894318410389073

This article reminds nurses that although we care for many
patients, not one leaves our lives untouched. It is easy to
forget that when we are busy with I and O’s and treatments.
This article reminds us to put ourselves in our patients shoes.
How would we want to be taken care of. As nurses we have to
remember the times when we were spiritually broken and
remind ourselves that is the place where our patients are. If
we do not remind ourselves of this important value of
nursing, we will be separating ourselves from the world
spiritually. If that occurs we are not giving our patients 100%
care. We need to come back to basics in nursing every so
often.


Watson, J. (2003). Love and caring ethics of face and hand- an
invitation to return to the heart and soul of nursing and our deep
humanity. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 2(3),197-200.
..\..\Desktop\Love and caring ethics of face and hand- an
invitation to return to the heart and soul of nursing and our
deep humanity..pdf

Jean Watson’s theory of caring can be used in a variety of settings. The
article provided demonstrates how caring can be a universal importance
in nursing. The study took place in Saudi Arabia where many nurses from
around the world travel to. Watson’s theory of caring for the mind, body
and spirit is put to action in Saudi Arabia. The study first looked at the
meaning of caring and caring behaviors. In an Emergency Room caring
meant that nurses explained procedures where on cancer units, nurses
were expected to show compassion and sit and talk with the patient. The
patients described how they perceived nurses to behave. One patient
stated that nurses should confirm to the patient that they are not
overwhelming for the nurse. Since the study was in Saudi Arabia, one way
of showing the patient a nurse cares is by using an interpreter. This shows
the patient that the nurse cares and will earn the patients trust. Overall,
the goal is for the nurse to create a safe and comfortable environment
that will turn a patients experience of being sick to a positive experience
of feeling helped.


Suliman, A.W., Welmann, E., Omer, T., and Thomas, L. (2009). Applying Watson’s
nursing theory to assess patient perceptions of being cared for in a multicultural
environment. Journal of Nursing Research, 17(4), 293-300.
..\Applying Watson’s nursing theory to assess patient perceptions of being
cared for in a multicultural environment..pdf

Alligood, M.R., & Tomey, A.M. (2010). Nursing theorists and their work. Maryland Heights, MO:
Mosby Elsevier.

Caruso, E.M., Cisar, N., Pipe, T. (2008). Creating a healing environment: An innovative educational
approach for adopting Jean Watson’s theory of human caring. Nursing Administration Quarterly,
32(2), 126-132. doi: 10.1097/01.NAQ.0000314541.29241.14

Current Nursing (2012). Nursing Theories. Jean Watson's philosophy of nursing. Retrieved July1,
2013 from: http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/Watson.html

Fawcett,J., (N.D.). Overview of nurse theorist. DeSales University. Retrieved
June 30, 2013 from: http://www4.desales.edu/~sey0/watson.html

Lukose, A. (2011). Developing a practice model for Watson's theory of caring . Nursing Science
Quarterly, 24(1), 27-30. doi: 10.1177/0894318410389073

Nursing Theory (2013). Biographies of nursing theorists. Nursing Theorist. Retrieved July 1, 2013
from: http://nursing-theory.org/nursing-theorists/

Watson Caring Science Institute. (2009) Retrieved from http://www.watsoncaringscience.org