Can Someone Be a Nurse Without Jean Watson??

[Q.]

Ok now, as I delve back INTO nursing philosophy and theories, I come across, again, the theories of Jean Watson that have been hailed as the greatest thing since polyurethane IV bags - The Caring Theory of Nursing.

Personally, I have never been a fan of Watson, only because I feel that she OVERemphasized the caring aspect, and, in my opinion, dumbified nursing - hence, the ad campaign in the late 80's "If Caring Were Enough, Anyone Could Be a Nurse." Watson threw a fit when she saw this.

As nursing evolves to a more technically challenging field, requiring more acute assessment skills, and as the

"How Women Know" movement which has shaped nursing education for the last decade or so has become archaic, wondering what your thoughts are on if someone can be a nurse and NOT subscribe to the caring theory. Can one be a competent nurse and NOT care about her patients any more deeply than simply getting the job done?

Watson's theory goes a bit deeper than simply "caring" - more so than "caring" about any other job. But "caring" as far as honestly caring about the patient as you would your mom or dad.

Do you think someone CAN be an effective nurse WITHOUT having so much an emphasis on loving her patients?

[OBnursing]

Jean Watson is really respected in Colorado as that is where she lives and has taught and developed her theory.. Can you be a good nurse without caring about the person.. YES.. can you be a good nurse without caring.. NO. You need to care that that is someones mother, father, sister, brother etc. Not your mom., dad.. etc but someones. Treat people as you would want to be treated with respect and dignity. That is caring..

[BA_anthropology]

Just speaking for myself here, but the major reason I've decided to go into nursing is to have a career that allows me to help society in a tangible way. Granted, I'm interested in the technical stuff as well, but the fact that I want to take care of individuals is why I chose to leave careers that would be mostly research-based on the back burner for the time being. I realize that all this means is that caring might make one become a nurse, and doesn't imply that being careless would make someone a bad nurse.

But, with all the other careers in the world that have better pay, more recognition and respect, and less stress, why in the world would anyone choose to be a nurse if they didn't care?

[callmekipling]

Forgive me if this is too brief a treatment of a very involved question, but - I think it depends on what your goals are as a nurse, your philosophy and the field in which you practice.

Realize you are working in an imperfect medium, with imperfect clientele and an imperfect process.

Not to be a downer, and I have not worked everywhere or know everything by any means, but I feel this job is less about success outright and more about compromise - with patients, the economy, human mortality. Often, for just a little more time.

I say, care as best you can. As far as that mother/father bit, I'm not so hot for it. Too much caring *will* make you crazy.

[Kambili]

i think certain nursing theories are meant for certain type of nursing. this one should be kept solely in psychiatric nursing. Thank you.

[nursemike, ASN, RN]

I took this thread as an incentive to Google both Jean Watson and Dorthea Orem. I have to admit, my perspective as a working nurse is different from what it was as a student. In school, I could feel my eyes glazing over, but now, the only serious fault I find with either is an aversion to Anglo-Saxon words. Filter through all the Latin and the technical jargon, and it isn't all that far from common sense.

[d'cm]

I have found that nursing theory is the same as plumbing theory: S...t runs downhill.

[meluhn]

One can be a good nurse without "caring deeply" for the pt. My experience in corrections showed me that. I had to provide care to child abusers, molesters, and murderers. Did I like these people? NO. I did provide them with the best possible nursing care though.

Interesting point. This is why it takes all kinds of people to be nurses. I could never work with such a population because they would disgust me. I don't think you have to care deeply for your patients like you do your family, but I dont think I could be therapeutic if I absolutely hated their guts, which I would. :angryfire

I think I have a great relationship with my patients. I treat them all with unconditional positive regard. Some of them I truly do like alot. I am always courteous and I try to make small talk so they feel comfortable, which increases their overall feeling of well-being, makes working a little more fun and interesting and opens the lines of communication. They know they can come to me with anything they need (within reason). I try to truly empathize with what they must be going through and I try to keep the conversation and relationship "all about them".

That being said, I wish them well but once I go home, I don't usually give them a second thought.:loveya:

[TDub, MSN, EdD]

Some of the best advice I got in nursing school was "You don't have to like all your patients." I was so grateful I could have kissed that professor! You can care deeply about doing a good job, being there for the patient, caring about them as a human being deserving of the care and consideration every human being deserves and being an ethical nurse and STILL hate their guts.

I think it's stupid to expect to "care" about every patient like that. Some you click with and they become dear to you and others don't. You still give them everything you've got, right? Because that's the essence of a nurse: that all patients are treated with equal dedication compassion and intellectual rigor.

You don't have to like anyone. You just have to do a good job and live up to your end of the bargain: I will take care of you to my utmost ability.

Remember: a theory is just that. There are plenty of theories that border on the ridiculous. Martha Rogers, anyone?

[meluhn]

Remember: a theory is just that. There are plenty of theories that border on the ridiculous. Martha Rogers, anyone?

LOL This made me laugh. Martha Rogers was the unitary being thory, right? Boy some of them were so far out there that I started to wonder weather they wrote their theories during the sixties while doing bong hits and tripping their faces off.

I kind of liked learning about some of them though. Like Florence Nightengale and the environment. It was so cutting edge back then. "Hey, what if we feed people good food, dont let them wallow in their own filth AND give them fresh air, maybe then they would heal better?". I love it.

[texcollex]

I place the medical care of every patient as priority one. The fact is, however, that I became a nurse because I care, and everything that I do for the patient is seasoned by who I am. There is a time for fast action and technical thinking, and a time for compassionate behavior. Jean Watson? I remember studying her theory in school. But I didn't need her to teach me anything about caring.

Tex

[Bug Out, BSN]

My professionalism is for my patients. My emotions are for my family.

In order to treat all of my patients equally with the highest possible quality of care I must maintain a emotional barrier so that I do not favor one patient over another.

You cannot tell me that when you start "loving" and becoming emotionally attached to patients that you can still function as a professional that is providing an equal level of care to all of your patients.

Could you function at 100% if that was your mother/father/child laying in that bed? I know that personally I would be an emotional wreck.

I never wish to place myself in a position that would compromise my professional clinical abilities because of an emotional attachment.

[Who?Me?]

Interesting question...

I don't believe you have to care about the patient like they are family. What you have to care about is doing your best at your job-doing the right things for the patient versus neglecting care and treatments. It comes down to competency versus incompetency.

What Watson espoused was that "caring" occurs at many levels and if you can treat patients as "family" you may care more for them. Well, yes and no.

I know that I have family that I would think twice about saving; but that is a lot of history and they wouldn't pull me out of a burning building either. I think what is more important is doing your best at your job, caring about the fact that being a 'good' nurse means that you are technically proficient at your nursing tasks; but that you treat your patients well. Easy-not always; but a worthwhile goal.