RGP1 — RGP TASK 1: PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY
Western Governors University
C304 Professional Roles and Values
2
RGP1 — RGP TASK 1: PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY
A: Nursing Theory
Jean Watson’s theory of human
...
RGP1 — RGP TASK 1: PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY
Western Governors University
C304 Professional Roles and Values
2
RGP1 — RGP TASK 1: PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY
A: Nursing Theory
Jean Watson’s theory of human caring is the nursing theory that has most influenced my
goals and values as a nurse. This theory states that humans are holistic beings that are greater
than the simple sum of their parts. It also says that caring is a transpersonal relationship between
the nurse and the patient that allows for healing and empowerment. There are 10 “carative”
factors involved in Watson’s theory that describe the source of caring and how caring manifests
itself in the nurse-patient relationship. In short, the theory of caring is a holistic theory that
examines the nurse-patient relationship from many different aspects. (Jacob & Cherry, 2019)
As already mentioned, Watson’s Caring Theory views humans as much more than simply
a person with specific medical needs, such as a broken leg resulting from a car accident. The
patient is seen as a holistic being with physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional needs. In
addition, the nurse-patient relationship is seen as critical to the healing process. By holistically
viewing the patient, the nurse quickly notices more issues than simply the physical injuries
resulting from the accident. For example, if the patient was at fault for the accident, he might be
struggling with feelings of guilt. Maybe there are now relationship issues or financial stress. All
these things affect the healing process, and a nurse guided in professional practice by the tenets
of Caring Theory can provide the most excellent care of her patients.
I view my nursing practice as very holistic, considering the patient’s entire circumstances
as much as possible. For example, when I did hospice nursing, in addition to standard end-of-life
physical symptoms that were frequently present, patients and their families were often dealing
with other issues as well. These might include finding closure or healing family relationships.
Sometimes, the patient or family had unresolved spiritual
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