Jean Watson’s Nursing Theory Jean Watson graduated from the Lewis Gale School of Nursing in Roanoke, West Virginia, in 1961. She continued her nursing studies at the University of Colorado, earning a B.S. in 1964, an M.S. in Psychiatric and mental health nursing in 1966, and a Ph.D. in education psychology and counseling in 1973. Watson then joined the nursing faculty at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and served in many teaching and administrative roles, including chair and assistant dean of the School of Nursing. Watson was instrumental in creating the Center for Human Caring at the University of Colorado. This center was created to develop and use knowledge of human caring and healing in nursing and to assist in the efforts to transform the health care system into a more care-centered entity. Watson currently lives in Boulder, Colorado, and is still part of the nursing faculty at the University of Colorado. Watson has made three major elements which were turned into nursing theories. Watson’s nursing theory is to care for the patient like you would care for a loved one and having a nice atmosphere. She had three major elements that are continually evolving theories which were: Clinical caritas processes, Transpersonal caring relationships, and caring moments/caring occasions. There are 10 clinical caritas processes. The first process is the practice of loving kindness and equanimity within the context of an intentional caring consciousness which means just to practice kindness to people. The second process is being authentically present meaning your mind, body, and soul has to be all there when addressing a patient. The third process is cultivation of one’s own spiritual practices and transpersonal self, going beyond ego self meaning being open to other religions. The fourth process is developing and sustaining a helping-trusting, authentic caring relationship meaning the patient trusting the nursing with whatever they do. The fifth process is being present to, supportive of, the expression of positive and negative feelings as a connection with deeper spirit of self and the one being care for meaning whatever the patient chooses the nurse should support the decision. The sixth process is to have a creative use of self and all ways of knowing as part of the caring process; to engage in artistry of caring-healing practices meaning use different ways to heal the patient. The seventh process is engaging in genuine teaching-learning experience that attends to unity of being and meaning, while attempting to stay within other’s frame of reference meaning teaching the patient what to do. The eighth process is creating a healing environment at all levels, whereby wholeness, beauty, comfort, dignity, and peace are potentiated meaning making sure the environment the patient is staying in is comfortable for them. The ninth process is assisting the basic needs; with an intentional caring consciousness meaning treat the
