Page 125 - Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring

t heoret ica l Fra m ew or k F or C ar it as/car i ng rel at i on s h i p
other’s point of view, and communicating congruence and differences
effectively. The need exists to confront disagreements and misunder-
standings directly in such a way that conflict is resolved in a construc-
tive manner rather than ignored and allowed to grow.
It is a given that different professions and backgrounds among
practitioners will manifest different traditions of knowledge and prac-
tices. Each will also bring different skills and talents that can be encom-
passed and embraced to round out the entire team, recognizing that
everyone has something unique to offer and making the effect more
wholesome, complete, and whole. Affirming and valuing diversity
among the team are necessary. Practitioners can learn from each
other about the healing approaches of other professions and cul-
tures. Together, they can learn to honor and respect and appreciate
the mix of talents, to know the value of others’ work and continu-
ally learn from others, including professional, lay, and indigenous heal-
ing traditions and practices. Awakening to the importance of creat-
ing and sustaining a community of caring-healing practitioners can
be the foundation for transforming sick care into health and healing
for all. Once awakened to this new reality that cooperation and com-
munity/Communitas are the basis of true health care, it becomes the
ethical-moral responsibility of professionals at all levels to work from
this caring center. Then we all learn true humility, to let go of ego,
to grow beyond personal/professional, limited—and sometimes arro-
gant—agendas. We learn how to value, give, and receive mutual trust,
support, kindness, patience, and emotional regard for self and other.
In addition, we learn to “exhibit a capacity for grace, which represents
an attitude of decency, thoughtfulness, and generosity of spirit toward
[self] and others” (PFR 1994:36).
In addition, we each learn humility by acknowledging that no one
discipline, person, or professional works alone or has all the knowl-
edge, skills, values, and experience necessary for deeply human car-
ing and healing work. Thus, this work takes on human dimensions
that can be celebrated, cultivated, and embraced instead of controlled
by attempts to fix and blame others and by perceiving each individual
practitioner as essentially alone, performing isolated events. Nothing is
isolated in this model; rather, we are all connected and interdependent.

98