Caring for the Professional Carer
Caring is an integral part of nursing. Caring is not a technical skill. We cannot quantify it. But, it is the foundation of all we do as nurses. That's not my idea. Seminal nursing theorists like Jean Waston and Sister Simone Roach crystallized ideas of caring in nursing decades ago. I think, now more than ever, we as nurses can revitalize not only our profession, but the healthcare system by embracing theories of caring. We nurse with our hearts and our minds. In the 9 years of my nursing career I have seen how much of ourselves many nurses give when they enter into the caring relationship with their patients. I have walked the fine line between exemplary care and burning out. I think that in a profession that is centered around care it can be easy to ignore care of ourselves in our efforts to care for our patients. However, when we lose sight of ourselves and our wellness we are sacrificing both our hearts and our minds. In the last nine years of my nursing career, I have le