" (3, Watson). This theory serves as a comprehensive guide to nurses in patient care. Caring is institutionalized in the sense that it is seen as a whole separate science that nurses need to excel in. Watson maintains that the core of nursing is healing and therefore everything that promotes healing such as healthy patient-nurse relationship, carative factors etc. is seen as an important component of caring science. She describes basis of nursing as "those aspects of nursing that actually potentiate therapeutic healing processes and relationships; they affect the one caring and the-one-being-cared-for" (2, p. 50). TRIM is an important term used by the theorist. Watson uses this term to describe the essential tasks connected with caring in the field of nursing. "Trim' referred to the practice setting, the procedures, the functional tasks, the specialized clinical focus of disease, technology and techniques surrounding the diverse orientations and preoccupations of nursing. The 'trim,' however, is in no way expendable. It is just that it cannot be the center of a professional model of nursing [the 'core'] (2, p. 50).

The theory sounds complex to many because of its rather perplexing terminologies and extensive use of overlapping and sometimes vague concepts. But it is definitely...

It has become a standard for judging new practices and competencies in nursing because Watson has successfully managed to bridge the gap between theory and practice by incorporating the two into the same framework.
With rapid changes in the medical field and with new technologies emerging everyday, people especially those in the nursing field are in constant danger of losing sight of their core objective i.e. personal care. Nursing tasks have become too technical in nature and thus it is important to stress the need for transpersonal relationships and one-on-one personal connection between nurses and patients. By including mind, body and spirit into the whole scheme of care, Watson guides nursing in the right direction.

References

Watson, J. (1988). Nursing: Human science and human care. New York: National League for Nursing.

Watson, J. (1997).The theory of human caring: Retrospective and prospective. Nursing Science Quarterly, 10(1), 49-52.

Jean Watson: Theory of Human Caring: Retrieved online 14th October 2004:

http://www2.uchsc.edu/son/caring/content/wct.asp