Nursing

Jean Watson's Human Caring Theory has become entrenched in all aspects of nursing practice, inseparable from the art and science of nursing. Watson's philosophy of caring evolved into the science of caring, as evidence-based practice can support the efficacy of carative factors. However, Watson understood also that caring was a moral imperative of nursing care that extends beyond the traditional medical model toward a new transpersonal paradigm. To promote this paradigm in a concrete manner, Watson proposed what she termed Carative Factors, or the Processes of Caritas, which inform the science of caring. These ten factors include the following. First, practicing loving-kindness means developing a "caring consciousness," (Watson Caring Science Institute, 2010, p. 2). Second, the nurse is authentically present in the moment with the patient. Third, caring requires one to cultivate a spiritual practice with the goal of transcending the ego. Fourth, it is necessary to develop authentic...
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