Throughout my first clinical experience, I was able to witness both compassionate care and non-compassionate care. I believe that compassion, the ability to feel for another living being and empathy, the ability to not only understand another’s feelings, but also to become one with that person’s distress; to put yourself in their shoes and imagine what they’re going through in that situation are the core of therapeutic patient care (Parish, 2013). This form of care is essential to the overall well-being of the patient. The primary care physician, registered nurse, licensed practice nurse, and family all play a vital role in the patient’s recovery and will be excellent influencers on how the patient responds to the care plan process.

Clinical Event

After only having one clinical experience under my belt, I quickly learned how essential compassion and empathy are to patient care. Expressing understanding and acceptable emotions while also maintaining a professional relationship is what nurses strive for. During my clinical experience, I witnessed many patients who were recovering from injuries or diseases that changed their life in multiple ways. However, one patient of mine stands out in particular. It was one of the first patients I have ever cared for and I believe I learned a lot from that experience. The patient was recovering from a fall and was expected to leave the hospital shortly after my interactions with her that day. I spent time alone with the patient all day talking and completing the appropriate nursing assessments. I was able to have an open discussion with my patient about her recovery process and how she was planning to get back to living on her own. The patient was enthusiastic and was willing to answer any question I asked of her. However, towards the end of the day, the registered nurse and I went into the patient’s room to discuss her discharge plan, I noticed a change in her persona. The patient was enthusiastic about getting discharged however,

she was expressing sadness about going home to her empty apartment due to living alone after the passing of her husband. The patient was scared of falling again and not having the ability to contact help or someone not finding her for days. The patient began to tell stories of her youth. She explained all the adventures she and her husband would embark on and how they were always on the go. Her favorite memory was one when they were running to catch a ferry boat and both attempted to jump off the dock to make it onto the last boat of the day and made it on! The registered nurse, probably half of the patient’s age never experienced an event similar to the patient, was able to provide compassion and empathy towards the client making her feel comfortable expressing feelings and emotions with the nurse while also relaxing the patient by allowing for her to express all the thoughts built up in her head. The registered nurse explained that the client has amazing family and neighbors that have visited her everyday while under her care and were willing to help the patient implement safety measures to prevent future falls. The nurse used terminology that was easily understood and acted as a mentor for the patient. After the nurse put herself in the patient’s shoes and provided guidance the patient became more at ease and confident in her discharge.

Empathy vs Compassion

Watson’s guidelines for putting love and heart-centered caring practice into action provided a baseline for providing compassionate and empathy towards patients. The guidelines express the importance of involving emotions in the nursing process while being able to maintain appropriate professional relations with the patient.

I believe Watson’s fourth caritive point, “developing and sustaining a helping-trusting, authentic caring relationship”, is most important to compassion and empathy in nursing care (Wagner, 2010). Without developing a trusting and authentic relationship with the patient, he/she would never express thoughts or concerns to the nurse. By not expressing valid emotions, the nurse would not be able to provide the most appropriate nursing care to the patient. Showing the patient, you are trustworthy and only want the best for the patient will open the vital chain of communication between patient and nurse.

Along with opening a therapeutic relationship with the patient the nurse must provide insight into both positive and negative aspects the client suggests such as stated in Watsons’s fifth curative point; “being present to, and supportive of the expression of positive and negative feelings” (Wagner, 2010). It is essential for the nurse to be a proper role model for the client by offering encouragement and positive reassurance towards the recovery process. However, the patient may not always be expressing positivity and may be concerned with the negative aspects of their life. The nurse needs to be prepared to accept those negative feelings of the patient and utilize their knowledge and personal beliefs to assist the patient. Providing support to both positive and negative feelings allows for adequate therapeutic care for the patient.

Finally, Watson’s tenth curative point, “opening and attending to mysterious dimensions of one’s life-death; soul care for self and the one-being-cared for; allowing and being open to miracles” expresses compassion and empathy in the utmost way (Wagner, 2010). Many patients in a hospital or rehabilitation setting may not have a complete understanding of their illness or disease process making the patient feel stressed or unsure of the situation. A nurse’s job is to attend to all the needs of the patient and make them a priority for the patient to recover. However, assisting the client during a more difficult and potentially lonely time in their life, such as death, is also essential to adequate nursing care.

The curative points I highlighted are defining points that contribute to successful patient outcomes. Having a trusting patient-nurse relationship, providing advice affecting positive and negative feelings, and being open to all dimensions of the patient’s life is beneficial to all patients. Compassion and empathy are implemented in nursing care to aid in the medical aspect of care. Medicine and other scientific methods are appropriate in most cases however, without the use of compassion and empathy patient’s will not be receiving a holistic form of care. 

Self-Assessment

My role in the situation I expressed was that of a bystander. I was actively listening to what the registered nurse was expressing to the client and the method of communication techniques she was using however; I did not actively participate in the conversation. In the future, I now understand that it is important to offer support and insight to the client when they are in distress even if another healthcare provider or family member is doing so as well. Multiple people may allow the patient to obtain a stronger understanding of all the situations and mysteries pertaining to them.

After reading Watson’s curative points I developed an idea of how I would like to express myself towards my patients. I would like to always offer a trusting and open relationship with all my patients, express my personal beliefs when appropriate, and tend to the wholeness of each patient. By doing so, I hope my patients are able to rely on me with both positive and negative feelings and trust that I am always offering the most authentic advice and support.

Overall, compassion and empathy are vital to authentic nursing care. Implementing Watson’s curative points and having an understanding of how essential compassion and empathy are to nursing care will allow for the potential of better positive outcomes. Patients thrive on encouragement and support from others during their recovery process. As my nursing career advances, I intend on incorporating compassion and empathy along with scientific knowledge to provide appropriate patient care.