I think the idea of caring in nursing is pushed so hard it is almost overdone. In nursing school everywhere, you turn there is a lecture, book, article or someone talking about patient centered care. Which I understand is important and something that each nurse should believe in, however to me that is not the issue. Every nurse care about patients immensely in the beginning of their career, my pose is how to keep caring for years to come? Watson’s value system seems basic as the quote stated in this discussion post “Human caring requires high regard and reverence for a person and human life, a love of humanity, non paternalistic values related to human autonomy, inner wisdom, and freedom of choice\"” ( p. 42) All nurses have a high regard for human life as we spend our days, nights, and careers trying to make sure that people of all ages, races, and walks of life do not die. I think this premise is simple and it sounds like something anyone who once wore the white hat and was pinned would agree with. The true base of this question to me is can you care for and value every human life at the same level. I work for a psych dual diagnosis rehab program. We are not talking about cute and cuddly patients. We are talking about psychiatric patients who at times have delusions and are hostile, rude, and demeaning. On the other side there at 19-year-old heroin addicts trying to get sober who are mean, scream, and again demean you at every turn. Watson noted that professionalism is one of he cornerstones of nursing which I agree however nurses are people which means there is a point where it can all be too much. To me a true leader understands the risk for compassion fatigue of care givers and does what is necessary to make sure each member of the team takes care of themselves. To keep a culture that’s sustain human caring science for best clinical practices in the workplace the staff needs to be able to give good care. Compassion fatigue is a risk that every care giver is at risk of contracted for lack of better words. Communication, and etc with staff is important too however not as important as making sure those under you are capable of giving excellent care. “Compassion fatigue is a concept that later Fiagley took a different approach and attempted to redefine compassion fatigue as secondary traumatic stress disorder (STSD). Figley\'s definition seems somewhat antithetical to Joinson\'s original idea of compassion fatigue. Nevertheless, Joinson\'s informal conceptualization and Figley\'s medically inclined definition struggle to capture the comprehensive meaning of the term.” (Harris & Quinn, 2015, p. 1) Nurses deal with extremely sad and difficult tasks, and it can take a toll. It is also a job that at time can be thankless. To me to ensure that nurses practice the respect for human life the nurses need to be thought about. To care for someone, to care about their care and their life the nurse must be taking care of themselves. Making sure that your team is not experiencing compassion fatigue and that they are able to give good care. I agree patient centered care, caring for the human at the basic level is important but I may be the only one but the actual nurse and how they handle experiences is important. A true leader has to be dialed into the staff’s ability to give empathy and care because it is not always guaranteed they are capable.
References
Harris, C., & Quinn, M. (2015). Nursing on Empty: Compassion Fatigue Signs, Symptoms, and System Interventions. JCN, 32(2), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1097/CNJ.0000000000000155
