Anne Boykin Nursing as Caring Theory

Credentials:

• PhD: Higher Education Vanderbilt University (1981)

• MN: Adult Nursing Emory University (1972)
• BSN: Nursing Alverno (1966)

Bio

Anne Boykin grew up in Wisconsin; the second eldest of six children. Today she enjoys
the beauty of South Florida. She enjoys the natural life – walking, working with
flowering plants, listening to music, and antiquing.

Original Source of Theory:

Philosophy and Human Science
 Philosophy
 Caring is a human mode of being
 Caring is an essential feature and expression of being human
 Human Science
 Nursing is a form of human science which focuses on the knowledge
needed to understand the fullness of what it means to be human and on the
methods to verify this knowledge
Short Description of the theory
The theory of Nursing as Caring is a grand nursing theory that can be used a
framework to guide nursing practice. The theory is grounded on the following principles:

o Persons are caring by virtues of their humanness

o Persons live their caring moment to moment
o Persons are whole or complete in the moment
o Personhood is living life grounded in caring
o Personhood is enhanced through participating in
nurturing relationships with caring others
o Nursing is both a discipline and a profession

The basic premise of this theory is that all humans are caring persons, that to be human
is to be called to live one’s innate caring nature.

 Caring is the intentional and authentic presence of the nurse with another who is
recognized as a person living, caring and growing in caring.
 The ideal of caring is an essential feature and expression of being human and is
central in this theory.
 The nurse endeavors to come to know the other as a caring person and seeks to
understand how that person might be sustained, supported, and strengthened in
their unique process of living caring and growing caring.
What research has been completed with this theory?
 They set out to prove that growing in caring would improve the morale of
healthcare personnel and would result in higher levels of patient satisfaction
 Intentional focus on caring, respect and honor the dignity of the person
 Quantitative measures showed increased employee and patient satisfaction
How has this theory been applied to Nursing?
 Nurses intentionally care for an individual which causes them to grow in caring
 Nurses support, sustain, strengthen process of caring and growing in care
 Nurse must be present, actively listening, sensitive to broad range of situations
 Nurses gain expertise from the expression of caring.
 When the nurse enters the patient’s world, they learn to know the other caring and
understanding, and how to care and live in the moment.
 To respond to patients the nurse depends several ways of knowing: personal,
empiric, ethical and esthetic.
How could this theory be applied to your nursing practice?
 As a school nurse I could treat each student as a unique special individual,
listening, showing caring and responding to what truly matters to them.
 As a nurse educator, caring can help those being taught to have self awareness it
encourages learning and have the ability to apply theory to practice. The goal is to
empower nurses to take responsibility of their practice by gaining knowledge.
 When interviewing nurses for entry-level positions, I can interview and select
staff on the basis of “caring” orientation and ask them to tell me about a “caring
moment”.

Conclusion

Nursing is a lifetime journey of caring and healing, seeking to understand and preserve
the wholeness of human existence, and to offer compassionate, informed, knowledgeable
human caring to society and humankind.