The Art of Compassion: Educating Nurses for the World (Chapter in Awaken the Stars: Reflections on What We Really Teach)

Abstract

Excerpt: A unique and perhaps subtle difference exists between educating the best nurses in the world and educating the best nurses for the world. There is a distinction between the two that is at the heart of what makes caring for someone in their time of need an incredible vocation. Think upon a time when you experienced the knowledge, skills, and care of a nurse! think each of us can identify or recall nurses who were proficient and effective coordinators of care. They were nurses who were professionals in the world, protecting and promoting health and safety for ind ividuals, families, and populations. You might also have vivid recollections of unforgettable, highly venerated nurses who were someth ing more for you; their presence seemed to make all the difference. There was something about them that activated the transition from good to great. That something, I believe, was compassion made alive by the nurse\u27s ability to engage in meaningful and transformative human connections. In nursing, compassion involves seeing the patients as more than the sum of their diagnosis, vita l signs, and laboratory results. A nurse who personifies compassion has cultivated a deep-rooted concern for the total well-being of others while also striving to alleviate their suffering