Caring And The Ethics Of Care In Nursing

Caring and the Ethics of Care in Nursing

In order to define caring in nursing, one must consider the various aspects of caring, and how nurses can use these aspects to build therapeutic relationships with their clients. After these aspects have been understood, nurses can use the ethics of care to influence decisions regarding clients. Challenges to caring do exist for nurses, and solutions to the challenges can be discovered through the ethics of care. There are strategies a nurse may use in order to guarantee quality care for both clients and their families.

Aspects of Caring

Fowler goes into detail about the four phases of caring, which are caring about, taking care of, care giving, and care receiving. (2015, p.xxv). These phases each have

(Fowler, 2015). Some may consider care to be an obligation, others consider it to be a virtue, while still others believe that it is necessary to use step by step guidelines as a course of action to care for clients. (Fowler, 2015, p.xxvi). Fowler (2015) stated that developing a relationship begins with the ethics of care (p.28), and it’s already been determined that a therapeutic relationship is necessary to caring. (Doherty & Thompson, 2014). The aspects of care suggest that nurses must have a certain moral background, and a knowledge of one’s self and capabilities, in order to establish a caring relationship with clients. (Fowler, 2015). The four phases of the ethics of care allow the nurse to recognize that care is necessary, take responsibility and act by caring, strive to meet the needs of the client, and have the client or the client’s family acknowledge that care for the client was needed and received. (Fowler, 2015, p.28). The ethics of care guide the nurse’s decision making by relying on the nurse’s moral character and communication

(Doherty & Thompson, 2014). As a nurse, I must understand that the family’s needs must also be met, with regard to the client’s overall care. I can include the client’s family in the recovery process, and treat the family with the same aspects of the ethics of care that I treat the client with. Newson (2012, p.542) lists strategies that I can use when dealing with behavioral difficulties of clients, including being patient and honest with myself and the client, and knowing the client and their needs and