Jean Watson facts for kids

Jean Watson is an American nurse and professor known for her important idea called the theory of human caring. She has written many books, including Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring. Her ideas about caring have been used in many nursing schools and hospitals around the world to help educate nurses and care for patients.

About Jean Watson

Jean Watson was born on July 21, 1940, in Welch, West Virginia. She was the youngest of eight children. When she was 10, she saw a friend of her older sister have a seizure, and that's when she knew she wanted to be a nurse. Her father died when she was 16, which she said made her very sensitive to other people's feelings and suffering.

She went to nursing school at Lewis Gale School of Nursing in Virginia and graduated in 1961. She wanted to learn more than just medical facts, so she studied Psychiatric Nursing at the University of Colorado at Boulder, earning her bachelor's and master's degrees by 1966.

In 1973, she earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Counseling. After that, she started teaching nursing at the University of Colorado. By 1979, she was in charge of the university's special doctoral program. In 1986, she started and led the Center for Human Care. She also served as the dean of the College of Nursing and was president of the National League for Nursing.

In 2008, she started the Watson Caring Science Institute. This group works to share and develop her ideas about caring in nursing.

What is Caring Theory?

Jean Watson first developed her theory of human caring in 1979. It's a way of caring for patients that looks at the whole person, not just their illness. Instead of only using science to treat people, this theory focuses on being more thoughtful and aware during patient interactions. This helps nurses connect more deeply with patients and provide better care.

Watson's ideas were inspired by thinkers like Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. They helped create the idea of "transpersonal." Watson explains transpersonal as a special human connection where the nurse and patient truly connect. Both are fully present and feel a bond with each other.

Her science of caring has four main ideas:

• Health: This is about the connection between a person's mind, body, and spirit. It depends on how a person sees themselves versus what they are actually experiencing.
• Society: This refers to the values and ideas that society teaches people about how they should live or what they should achieve.
• Nursing: This is the science of human care and health. It involves how nurses interact with patients and how patients are cared for.
• Human being: This means every person is valuable, respected, and deserves care. They are seen as complete and able to function fully.

Over the years, Watson developed 10 "carative" processes. These are like guiding principles for nurses. They help nurses put the theory of caring into practice:

• Practicing kindness and calmness with a caring mindset.
• Being truly present and understanding the patient's beliefs and life experiences.
• Developing one's own spiritual practices and connecting with a deeper self, showing sensitivity and compassion to others.
• Building a helpful, trusting, and real caring relationship.
• Being there for patients and supporting them when they express both positive and negative feelings.
• Using creativity and all kinds of knowledge in the caring process, like an artist.
• Engaging in real teaching and learning experiences that respect the patient's point of view.
• Creating a healing environment in all ways, including physical and emotional comfort, dignity, and peace.
• Helping with basic needs with a caring mindset, supporting the connection of mind, body, and spirit.
• Being open to and understanding the spiritual and deeper meanings of life and death for oneself and the patient.

Large healthcare systems, like Kaiser Permanente in California and Stanford Health Care, use Watson's theory. In an interview, Watson said that many hospitals use her work. She believes she is just "giving a voice to nursing" by providing a framework that helps nurses understand their important role.

Academic Career

In 1983, Jean Watson became the dean emerita of nursing at the University of Colorado. She helped lead the university's nursing college into a very successful period. She was at first unsure about taking the job because she saw so much potential that hadn't been used yet.

As dean, Watson helped improve research and the university's special doctorate program. She saw that patient care needed a more complete approach that included philosophy and theory. So, in 1986, she created the Center for Human Caring. She also started the Denver Nursing Project in Human Caring. This project worked with local hospitals to help patients with AIDS and HIV.

Watson remembered one clinic at a hospital that was "totally community-oriented" and followed her theory. It was started because people with AIDS were often staying in hospitals when they didn't need to. The clinic listened to the patients and offered what they wanted, like exercise, nutrition, massage, or group therapy. This program saved a lot of money each year.

Faculty members at the university remember Watson's time as dean as a time when the college became a "center for human caring." Watson said it was a "collaborative, exciting, and creative time" and that the faculty did very well. The college became one of the top in the country for research funding.

She was the dean of nursing at the University of Colorado from 1983 to 1990. While Caring Science is not as big a part of the nursing college there now, it still offers a PhD in Nursing and Caring Science.

Watson also held the title of Distinguished Professor of Nursing, which is the highest honor for scholarly work. In 1999, she received the Murchinson-Scoville Chair in Caring Science. This was the first special position in Caring Science in the country, located at the University of Colorado Denver & Anschutz Medical Center.

Before becoming dean, Dr. Watson earned her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Colorado in 1964. Two years later, she earned a master's degree in psychiatric-mental health nursing. She then earned her doctorate in educational psychology and counseling in 1973.

Achievements and Awards

Jean Watson has achieved many important things in her career. She founded the original Center for Human Caring in Colorado in 1988. She has also been the president of the National League for Nursing. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and is the Founder and Director of the non-profit Watson Caring Science Institute.

Watson has received many honors and awards, including:

• The Fetzer Institute Norman Cousins Award
• A Fulbright Research Award
• Being named a "Living Legend" by the American Academy of Nursing in 2013
• An international Kellogg Fellowship in Australia
• The Pioneering Work in Caring Science award
• Being the honorary chairperson of the Japanese International Society of Caring and Peace
• The Visionary Award for Caring Science Leadership

She has also received sixteen honorary doctoral degrees, with thirteen of them from other countries like Sweden, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Canada.

Books and Writings

Jean Watson has written or co-written over 30 books about her caring theory. Her first book, Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring, was published in 1979. This book explained the main ideas of her caring theory. It has been updated many times as her ideas have grown, providing a full history of her Caring Science philosophy.

Her books Assessing and measuring caring in nursing and health sciences (2002) and Caring science as sacred science (2005) both won the "Book of the Year" award from the American Journal of Nursing.

Watson's more recent work explores "unitary caring science." This looks at the role of nurses through the idea of unity, belonging, and connection in the world.

See also

In Spanish: Jean Watson para niños