Caring as an Art
Nursing refers to an occupation within the health sector. It focuses on care for families, people, and communities so that they may achieve, uphold or recover the optimal quality of life and health. Kymba (2007) distinguishes nurses from different healthcare providers based on their training, approach to patients, and scope of practice.
According to Kymba (2007), patients refer to receivers of health services. Patients are mostly injured or ill and need the treatment by advanced registered nurses or physicians. Patients are classified into outpatients and inpatients. Outpatients are not hospitalized for more than 24 hours, while inpatients spend more than 25 hours in a hospital.
Health refers to the degree of functional efficiency of a living creature. With respect to humans, health indicates the general state of an individual’s body and mind. This implies that a healthy person is free from injury, illness or pain.
Kymba (2007) defines environment as the sum of all surrounding of living things. The environment also includes natural forces that provide necessary conditions for growth and development as well as damage and danger. There is an apparent link between the health of a living organism and the environment in which it lives.
According to Kymba (2007), the art of nursing is the nurses’ ability to bond with patients. It is only when nurses begin direct patient care that they become aware of the nursing art. Kymba (2007) states that the term art can be considered as the outcomes of a given task as well as the skill and knowledge needed to perform the task. Similar to other art forms, Kymba (2007) cites that nursing can be inspirational, dramatic, relaxing, comforting, joyful, and even sad. Like science, nursing is also creative and existential. The intangible bond can result in the healing environment. Kymba (2007) argues that the science of nursing enables nurses to care for patients, but it is the nursing art that calls them to nursing profession and enables them to touch the souls.
Christian faith has a significant impact on caring. The Scripture strongly emphasizes loving and caring for each other. Through caring, people show that they are concerned with the well-being of each other (Wiley, 2012). Philippians 2:4 (Wiley, 2012) says, “Let each of you look does not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Caring is exhibited by looking at the interests of others. According to the Scripture (Wiley, 2012), caring is a virtue that all Christians must have in order to live.
In conclusion, patients are mostly injured or ill and need treatment by advanced registered nurses or physicians. Healthy persons are free from injury, illness or pain. The art of nursing is the nurses’ ability to bond with patients. Christian faith has an impact on the way nurses care for patients.
