Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring

In the evolution of the nursing profession, the phrases nursing care, therapeutic care, caring for others, and related expressions are used by nurses to describe their professional service to others. Members of our society have different thoughts and role expectations about these phrases in relation to the kind of care they receive from nurses. Furthermore, these expressions hold different meanings for nurses in their various care-giving roles, such as to individual clients, families, and community groups they serve. Care-giving and care-receiving roles of nurses have different sets of expectations and behaviors. It is well, there, that members of the nursing profession begin systematically to clarify the diverse functions and cultural values related to the concepts of care, caring, and nursing care.

The concept of care is probably one of the least understood ideas used by professional and nonprofessional people, yet it is probably one of the most important concepts to be understood by human groups. It is a word with multiple social usages in the American culture, and has other meanings in other world cultures. The terms care, caring, and nursing care have both symbolic and functional meanings as they are used by caregivers and care-recipients. Nursing care also has a general, special meaning to nurses, and is often taken for granted in nurses' thoughts and action patterns. It is time that we study the implicit and explicit meanings associated with the concepts of care and caring so that we can reduce their ambiguities. Furthermore, the humanistic, scientific, and linguistic meanings related to nursing care and caring behaviors in any culture remain a most fascinating area of study for nurses.

Author: Jean Watson
Publisher: University Press of Colorado
Published: 12/15/1991
Pages: 344
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.08lbs
Size: 8.06h x 5.84w x 0.84d
ISBN13: 9780870811548
ISBN10: 0870811541
BISAC Categories:
- Medical | Nursing | Research & Theory
- Medical | Nursing | Fundamentals & Skills
- Medical | Nursing | Nurse & Patient

About the Author
A fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a past president of the National League for Nursing, Dr. Jean Watson is Distinguished Professor of Nursing and holds an endowed Chair in Caring Science at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center. She also founded the original Center for Human Caring. Watson is a widely published author and has received many awards, including six honorary doctoral degrees. Her theory of human caring and model of caring science are used around the world.