Knowledgeable vs. Caring Nurse

[maab]

In my philosophy class today, we talked about a hypothetical issue about nursing. It got me thinking about what the real definition of caring is.

In the hyppothetical example, there is a nurse who is very knowledgable and knows that she is responsible for both the well-being of her patients but also the overall well-being of public health in her society. However, she is not a person who you would call "caring." So the supervisor ends up firing her for this very reason without explanation.

Do you think this is ethical? Why or why not?

[Atheos]

I take a lot of offense to having caring = incompetent.

I will most likely edit this post later.

Tait

The instructor posed a hypothetical question and the logical follow up is "is knowledgeable better than caring?"

We already know that the best case scenario is knowledgeable AND caring like BBFRN implied. I mentioned that in one of my posts.

Caring and knowledge are BOTH important but if you can ONLY get one then knowledgeable ALWAYS wins.

No one said or implied caring = incompetent. Just like we aren't saying or implying knowledgeable nurses aren't caring.

Don't be quick to take offense where none exists. :)

[Tait, MSN, RN]

I don't really care if my nurse is miss squishy-huggy-flower-kitten nurse. I want her to be factual, smart, and efficient. -Lilyblue

If you can't breathe, would you rather I fluffed your pillow and got you a sandwich, or suctioned the mucous plug out of your trach using sterile technique? -Blee O' Myacin

Do you want the knowledgeable nurse and doctor or the 'nice' ones? -Stanley-RN2B

any idiot can hold someone's hand -Gomer42

Yeah I don't know WHERE I could have possibly picked up the feeling that people think caring = incompetent.

Tait

I am done derailing this. Good night.

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

Let's try to debate the topic and not each other, please. We can do this.

Back to your regularly scheduled thread topic: Was the nurse in the example displaying a form of caring, and was it unethical for her manager to fire her, because her version of what caring looks like may differ?

It appears most of us (so far) are in agreement that caring & knowledge go hand-in-hand in this profession, and that one doesn't negate the other.

[wackyj2000]

I believe a good nurse needs to be KNOWLEDGABLE and CARING. And hell.. if you dont have both then, knowledgable.. but, we went into this profession for a reason right!? Obviously we care. :)

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

being knowledgeable doesn't exclude being caring, nor vice versa...

[smurfy]

having had both, I prefer knowledgable. nothing like being in serious trouble and having a "caring nurse" trying to give you comfort instead of running for a doctor to stop the internal hemorraging.

warm and fuzzi is overrated.

besides, being knowledgeable shows that you care

[MedicalLPN, LPN]

Just because the nurse has a lot of knowledge and knows what's going on with her patient does not mean she'll do anything about it. Sure she may know you're bleeding out and why but if she doesn't care she might just wait until you code before doing anything about it.

Whereas a nurse that cares and doesn't have as much knowledge as the previous nurse may know "something" is wrong but doesn't know exactly what or why, will keep pushing until some form of intervention occurs because she cares about the patient's well being.

There's my take on it

[lovehospital]

Oh no not again,this must like what maybe 1000th thread about this topic.

How about both knowledgeable and caring nurse,they do exist.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Caring and knowledge are BOTH important but if you can ONLY get one then knowledgeable ALWAYS wins.

My point is that the two cannot be completely separated. There is no possibility of truly having one without the other. The "either-or" question is a not an appropriate question because is not possible to exist in reality. A person may know a lot of facts and appear to have a lot of knowledge ... but they are not truly knowledgeable in a meaningful, comprehensive way unless they can see the big picture. The big picture includes the broad range of knowledge about all that is important to the patient's condition and effective treatment. A person who does not have knowledge about the importance of caring is missing a lot of knowledge and is therefore not very knowledgeable.

Similarly, a person who claims or appears to care -- but doesn't care enough about the quality of their interventions to do their homework to assure the quality of their interventions -- can not be said to truly care about the patient. Such a nurse is filling some other need internal to themselves, NOT providing what the patient needs.

Technical skill also fits into this discussion. True caring requires technical skill as well as knowledge.

[nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN]

I care enough to try to be smart...and my first thought was the nurse manager is eliminating a nurse she perceives as a threat to her because she's bright, and maybe the nurse manager's not. I've seen that happen to folks in every field I've worked in, not just nursing. And no, "dumbing down" doesn't help anyone except a manger with a self-confidence issue.

Me, I like to be surrounded by folks smarter than me; you can be a complete jerk, as long as you a) do your job, and b) keep the patients alive; I can learn from what you do.

[FA to CRNA2b]

My point is that the two cannot be completely separated. There is no possibility of truly having one without the other. The "either-or" question is a not an appropriate question because is not possible to exist in reality.

I disagree. A person can be very knowledgeable and not give a darn and another person can care 'til it hurts while being dumber than a doorknob. It can absolutely exist.

[Atheos]

caring and knowledge are both important but if you can only get one then knowledgeable always wins.

quote]

my point is that the two cannot be completely separated. there is no possibility of truly having one without the other. the "either-or" question is a not an appropriate question because is not possible to exist in reality. a person may know a lot of facts and appear to have a lot of knowledge ... but they are not truly knowledgeable in a meaningful, comprehensive way unless they can see the big picture. the big picture includes the broad range of knowledge about all that is important to the patient's condition and effective treatment. a person who does not have knowledge about the importance of caring is missing a lot of knowledge and is therefore not very knowledgeable.

i gotta say llg. you are the first person in a long time to post a well thought out, answer backed up by logic that can't be refuted.

:bow: