Why Is Empathy Important?

Empathy is an integral component to the nursing profession; it is a large contributing quality as it leads to better patient outcomes and higher quality client experiences. Empathy allows for the nurse to convey a humanistic approach to the client during their compromised position and circumstance (Ward, Cody, Schaal, & Hojat, 2012). It strengthens the interrelationship between the nurse and client because empathy is a cognitive attribute, letting nurses understand the perspective of the client, allowing them to provide care depending on the concerns and lived experience of the certain individual. The process of healing is promoted through specialized care from the nurse to the recipient of care. The decline in empathy over the course of clinical
Compassion is a factor of morality, a caregiver’s response to human frailty that motivates our actions towards others in need (Ledoux, 2015). The quality innately instills a blanket of security towards the nurse from the position of the patient, which results in mutual trust and respect in both sides of the relationship (Ledoux, 2015). A nurse’s compassionate care results in healthy communication between the caregiver and the client. Through this quality, the genuine intentions of the nurse are well conveyed, as a result, the client will feel more involved, and willing to participate in their own health and well-being. Compassion drives a nurse’s desire to dull the suffering of others, inspired by social justice. Treating a variety of clients with different cases require individualized care plans which is made possible with the use of the quality. It is crucial in these healthcare aspects as it aligns the nurse with the client’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs as a priority (Ledoux, 2015). The quality’s effect of encouraging mutual trust and respect in both parties, engaging the patient’s interest in their health outcome through proficient communication, and nursing priorities ultimately builds the therapeutic nurse-client relationship. Although compassion is an important quality, knowledge is the backbone to a well-seasoned
Having a strong knowledge base is acquired from nursing education programs and experience from clinical settings. The greater the education and clinical experiences you obtain, the stronger the quality is for the nurse. Being knowledgeable should be a primary quality that a nurse possesses as it directs to an elevated standard of professionalism and core values of the profession such as altruism and activism (Fisher, 2014). Higher educational preparation fosters a skill set that allows for the nurse to strive towards health promotion and unprejudiced care which directs to the capability to treat a client utilizing the empirical way of knowing. A knowledgeable nurse empowers the nursing standards, according to the College of Nurses of Ontario, such as continuing competence. This includes participation in nursing research and implementing findings to practice in appropriate cases, taking part in peer review and engaging in further education in order to support and update their previous knowledge base (Fisher, 2014). Following Benner’s novice-to-expert model, the apparent factor throughout the growth is the acquirement of knowledge. A nurse’s ability to embrace and further the quality corresponds to skill, and the abundance of skill transitions the health care professional from one stage to the next. As you follow the model, care plans from