Caring in Nursing

Caring in Nursing

Compassion and Caring Every individual has his/her own unique perception of caring. There are so many ways to show caring that the possibilities are endless. Nurses are often associated with caring because they support, comfort, and help the patient recover to the best of their ability. Their experiences dealing with different patients that have unique situations on a daily basis help them become better caregivers. Personally I have had several experiences with some great nurses that have shaped my definition of what caring should portray. My maternal grandmother has had many health issues in the past years and has been in and out hospitals due to heart problems, infections, and surgeries. It is extremely difficult to deal with loved ones being ill because there is not much we can do to heal them. While my grandmother was hospitalized, the nurses who took care of her showed compassion and treated her with her with dignity and respect. Nursing is a profession that demands trust and the nurses who took care of my grandmother gained her trust and the family’s trust as well. They would constantly check on her, made sure she was eating and drinking enough, assessed and managed her pain, helped her to the bathroom, and, made her comfortable in bed. The nurses would also communicate to us of all of my grandmother’s behavioral changes, alterations to her care plan, and her response to treatment and care given. My family and I were relieved to know that the nurses did care and were doing everything possible to keep my grandmother comfortable and on the most effective treatment. In my personal opinion, caring is the essence of nursing. My definition of caring is attending to someone’s needs with their best interest in mind, while comforting and listening to their responses to prevent or treat illness. Nurses do not need recognition to know that they are doing their job well. When they get to see their patient leave the hospital they know that it