Nursing Aesthetics

Nursing in its essence is the art of caring. It may seem a simple concept, as do works of art seem simple to the untrained eye, but in reality they are both complex forms of communication. “Art expresses what words usually fail to express and brings a sense of wholeness to the human consciousness.” (Chinn & Waston, 1994, p.20) Nursing strives to do just this; it strives to communicate where doctors’ jargon and complex medical treatments fail.
As the beauty of art lies in its attention to detail, the art form of nursing caters to the minute details that often are overlooked in the hustle and bustle of our healthcare system. One quick example that comes to mind is a patient that I had who insisted on going home even though her right carotid was 80% blocked and required an edarterectomy ASAP. Doctors assumed, due to her drug history, her reasons for wanting to leave and simply charted in their progress notes and left, but it took a nurse to look beyond her outer shell and ask her why and took the patience to listen and understand. The truth of the matter was she was petrified of a lunatic ex-boyfriend who’s been threatening her and her young children being home alone while she was at the hospital. Once I gave her my time, to even begin to understand the details of her situation, I was able to help her by involving social services and arranging the necessary for the children’s safety which then allowed for her needed and prompt care. This is a minute example of the art of nursing, where a little compassion and patience allowed for the implementation of a science.

As patient advocates, we are to be the final filter before anything affects the patient, this requires us to be knowledgeable not only in the science that doctor’s practice, the medicine that pharmacists dispense, the ability of CNAs but also all aspects of the medical auxiliary that could come in contact with a patient. To some extend we are like a conductor uniting all the performers of an orchestra