What is Caring to You?

Nurses General Nursing

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Everyone associates nursing with caring, but I'm sure you've seen those that just "get by" or don't get involved.

I feel that I'm a very caring person, but sometimes you get those patients that make it very difficult. There are so many ways to show caring. What are those special things you do to facilitate a caring environment?

What I'm asking is, what do you think of when you describe caring? Any special stories? What is caring to you?

Caring to me is treating each patient, as you would want your Mother, Father, Grandparent, Child to be treated. (As a person and not the DISEASE.) Each person is unique.

Kind, thorough, competant care.:)

Being able to laugh:chuckle , or cry :o . Nurses have feelings, too...

Specializes in Pediatrics.

To me listening is one of the biggest things, and in the listening, making the patient feel as if their voice and their concerns are actually heard, processed, and important to the person they are talking to. I also like what mert says about being able to laugh or cry.

Originally posted by mert

Caring to me is treating each patient, as you would want your Mother, Father, Grandparent, Child to be treated. (As a person and not the DISEASE.) Each person is unique.

Kind, thorough, competant care.:)

Being able to laugh:chuckle , or cry :o . Nurses have feelings, too...

excellent!:D

IMHO....getting to the end of a really hectic 8hr shift (where Murphy's Law has proved true once more) and still not wanting to apply Tontine (pillow) therapy q5min prn to the psych patient who keeps buzzing every other minute to ask what the time is. That to me requires a lot of caring....caring about your family, friends and loved ones enough that the thought of going to jail for 15-20yrs is still a significant threat. :devil:

Let it be said now....I have had a REALLY bad shift today. :p

Specializes in OR,ER,med/surg,SCU.
Originally posted by Rayrae

To me listening is one of the biggest things, and in the listening, making the patient feel as if their voice and their concerns are actually heard, processed, and important to the person they are talking to. I also like what mert says about being able to laugh or cry.

I agree Rayrae, adding to your words if I may, listening to the unspoken word ie observing your patients needs...processing them and acting on them. Active listening is very high in my goals, in order to provide the type of quality of care I desire for each of my patients. That is "caring" to me.

Specializes in midwifery, ophthalmics, general practice.

good question. I guess for me its do unto others as you would have done unto you! its being there and listening. Someone said that nurses have this inate need to be needed. maybe thats what its all about.

Going to think about this some more!

Karen

i think that caring is an inherent part of most nurses. i agree that listening to your patient is very important.

Caring is just the way the nurses treated my Mom and my family when she was ill. They made her passing so much easier for all of us.

Originally posted by RNinICU

This seems like an easy question, but is not really that simple. Caring is a feeling of wanting to do the best I am capable of doing for my patients. I cannot relate individual incidents to demonstrate what caring means, because caring is not episodic. It is part of everything I do during my workday, from giving the right meds, to providing physical comfort, to helping a family deal with a loved ones illness. Even something as basic as washing my hands demonstrates that I care enough about my patients to protect them. Caring is not always easy, physically or emotionally. but it is an integral part of my nursing practice.

I wish I could write this well. This is why i want tobe a nurse.

As others have said, caring ,to me, is doing my absolute best everyday. Everything from clarifying an order to something as simple as listening to a story that a resident(I work LTC) has told me 10 times before.

The day that I feel like my job is just a job to do for 8 hrs is the day I will stop being a nurse. Because I don't think I could respect myself as a person, let a lone a nurse, if I didn't really care about what I was doing.

Caring to me is giving your best, treating a pt like they were your child, parent or grandparent.

Recently we had a 26 week fetal demise. Caring to me is treating the baby with respect and gentleness, taking the time before work to pick up a disposable camera for the family who didn't think they wanted pictures, buying a box for mementos, another nurse decorating the box and developing the film for them. Its knowing you did make a difference, really helped someone. Its knowing you would do it again even though your boss thought you spent too much time on them.

Wow, this is such a great thread. I have to agree with all of the above posters.

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