2008 Woodie Awards
Nurses learn to cure by caring
KRISTY VICKERY
Issue date: 4/28/08 Section: News
Teaching nursing students to show they care is a skill that some UCF professors are emphasizing in their classrooms. However, others dismiss the notion that caring is something that can be taught.
Kelly Allred, an assistant professor in UCF's College of Nursing, said one of the ways she teaches caring in the classroom is by exemplifying it for her students.
"We have to translate what caring is by how we act," she said. "We have to amplify how to care."
Allred said patients want their nurses to be caring people, and one of the ways she models this is by emphasizing the importance of professionalism.
"When we talk about caring, we talk about professionalism," Allred said. "If we look nice and we are cheerful, it shows we care, and that builds confidence in a patient."
Building confidence in a patient can also improve a patient's trust in a nurse.
Pamela Ark, an assistant professor at UCF, teaches community and public health nursing. She said she knows how important trust is to a patient and that communication is the key when establishing this trust.
"Caring behavior is demonstrated to patients through communication," Ark said. "It is important to communicate all the things that go on to a patient while they are in the hospital."
Ark said she teaches this doctor-patient communication by having her students practice listening and developing a rapport with each other.
Christina Amidei, a UCF nursing instructor, agrees that caring is a good skill to have, but she does not think that caring is where the most emphasis should lie.
"I don't want to underestimate the importance of caring, but I think it shouldn't be emphasized more than skill, knowledge, education and expertise," she said. "If you get a physician, you want to know his or her level of knowledge, expertise and educational level, and I think it should be the same for nursing."
Amidei also said she thinks caring is a skill that can be taught.
"Some people say they didn't know they cared about a particular thing until they learned about it," she said.
Meredith Maher, a junior in UCF's nursing program, disagrees. She said that caring cannot be taught. Rather, it is a characteristic you either have or don't have.
"There's no way to convince someone to care about something if they just don't," she said.
Maher said that knowing and anticipating the needs of a patient is the most important skill a nurse can have.
"Nursing is a science," Maher said. "It takes a lot of caring and knowing the right skills. But overall, caring is the most important aspect of nursing."
Kelly Allred, an assistant professor in UCF's College of Nursing, said one of the ways she teaches caring in the classroom is by exemplifying it for her students.
"We have to translate what caring is by how we act," she said. "We have to amplify how to care."
Allred said patients want their nurses to be caring people, and one of the ways she models this is by emphasizing the importance of professionalism.
"When we talk about caring, we talk about professionalism," Allred said. "If we look nice and we are cheerful, it shows we care, and that builds confidence in a patient."
Building confidence in a patient can also improve a patient's trust in a nurse.
Pamela Ark, an assistant professor at UCF, teaches community and public health nursing. She said she knows how important trust is to a patient and that communication is the key when establishing this trust.
"Caring behavior is demonstrated to patients through communication," Ark said. "It is important to communicate all the things that go on to a patient while they are in the hospital."
Ark said she teaches this doctor-patient communication by having her students practice listening and developing a rapport with each other.
Christina Amidei, a UCF nursing instructor, agrees that caring is a good skill to have, but she does not think that caring is where the most emphasis should lie.
"I don't want to underestimate the importance of caring, but I think it shouldn't be emphasized more than skill, knowledge, education and expertise," she said. "If you get a physician, you want to know his or her level of knowledge, expertise and educational level, and I think it should be the same for nursing."
Amidei also said she thinks caring is a skill that can be taught.
"Some people say they didn't know they cared about a particular thing until they learned about it," she said.
Meredith Maher, a junior in UCF's nursing program, disagrees. She said that caring cannot be taught. Rather, it is a characteristic you either have or don't have.
"There's no way to convince someone to care about something if they just don't," she said.
Maher said that knowing and anticipating the needs of a patient is the most important skill a nurse can have.
"Nursing is a science," Maher said. "It takes a lot of caring and knowing the right skills. But overall, caring is the most important aspect of nursing."