All right, so we are going to start looking at Jean Watson's Keratose processes two at a time. So as we go through this week, we're going to look at Keratose process one and two, and we'll kind of break them down a little bit and dig into what they mean a little bit more. Just as a reminder, just as we talked about last week, the Keratose processes are all intertwined. So although she breaks them down and we'll go through them one at a time or two a week, They really are very intertwined.
So you'll hear some very common threads that are shown throughout because those are the things that she feels really are the things that enable us to put this into practice. So Caritas Process 1 is cultivating the practice of loving kindness and equanimity towards self and others as foundational to Caritas consciousness. And Caritas Process 2 is being authentically present, enabling, sustaining, honoring the faith.
hope, and deep belief system, and the inner subjective life world of others and self. So as you can see, there's these appear more complicated than they are. So when we break them down, we'll kind of look at how you can just simply put these things into practice. And again, although there's these big fancy words being used, it's the meaning behind it, that is really what's important.
So we're going to look at Caritas process one. And when Jean Watson breaks it down even further, You can see in the purple here where it says embrace and loving kindness. If she had to whittle it down to just a few words, that's what she says this Caritas process is about. Equanimity was a word that I was unfamiliar with until I was introduced to her work, and it really just means a calmness and an inner peace. And then loving kindness, she says that's just that compassion and care that goes beyond the traditional level.
So when she begins this chapter, she starts it with the same quote that I shared with you last week. It's ironic that nursing education and practice requires so much knowledge and skill to do the job, but very little effort is directed towards developing how to be while doing the real work of the job. So here she's talking about how honing the knowledge and skills required to perform nursing is only part of our role. So as nursing students, you're going to be learning lots of things in skills lab.
You're going to be learning lots of things that. definitely require skill and knowledge, but you also need to learn how to be a nurse and how to give from the heart to your patients and to yourself. And again, I really, really appreciate Jean Watson because she's not all about what we do for everyone else.
She also really encourages us to do for ourselves. So as Concordia nursing students, you're encouraged to see your patients through a lens of kindness, caring, and compassion to see them as a whole person. And Dr. Watson stresses the importance of being personally prepared for this work.
So to care for others, we need to also love and care for ourselves. We want to encourage you to develop self-care practices that will prepare you for resilience and longevity in nursing, because that's truly, truly important. And I love the quote at the bottom of this slide, where she reminds us that what we do for ourselves benefits others and what we do for others benefits us. And that's something that I think it's important for all of us to realize, and especially as future nurses and as students, because I think as nurses, we feel guilty taking time for ourselves because we feel like that's time that we should be spending with our patients, doing for our patients. And for you as students, I think very often you feel guilty taking breaks or just taking time to do nothing because you feel as though you should be studying harder and you should be working harder.
But this reminder, I think, is really important. important that when we do something for ourselves, it's going to benefit others. And when we do something for others, it's going to benefit us. And that really, I think, gives us a lot of purpose in our work. So cultivating loving kindness towards self begins with a focus on positive attributes of yourself and of others.
Jean Watson also has on page 51 has her touchstones that once you move into clinical, I think those are really important. important. And they're just simple little ways that you can kind of connect and take a break at the beginning of your day, the middle of your day, the end of your day, she kind of breaks it down like that. And those I think are very integral as far as this embracing loving kindness. I'm going to move on to looking at how this can be carried out in action.
So for each Caritas process, I'm going to try to break down for you just some of the simple ways that this can be done in daily life. and inpatient care. So number one is being forgiving of yourself and cultivating self-care and self-awareness. And so for you as students and as high achieving students, I think part of that is being kind to yourself when you're less than perfect, because that is going to happen.
None of us are perfect all the time. So being able to be kind to yourself, like you would be to someone else is really important. And then also being able to celebrate when you do something well. Maybe you did something well even though you were scared or you didn't think you were ready. That's really important.
Those little moments are important to celebrate. Then as we approach others, assuming goodwill and approaching them with kindness is important, considering each person as an individual. And when you're involved with your patients, showing that you're interested in more than just their physical problem, approaching everyone as they are without prejudice and trying to see things from somebody else's perspective. So those are all pretty simple things that you can do, but those are all ways that you are embodying Caritas Process 1 and putting it into action. When we look at Caritas Process 2, again, if it's broken down into very few words, it would be inspire, faith, and hope.
And Jean Watson really believes that this Caritas Process can be used to honor the belief system of the nurse, inviting the practitioner to connect with that which sustains them when in need of faith and hope to draw upon. And that comes from page 62 of her book. So it's critically important to maintain our own faith and hope. under stress. Dr. Watson stresses that by being sensitive to your own presence, you may enable others to access their own belief systems.
And this is a simple act that can make the difference between hope and despair. And she reminds us that one of the ways that we feel hope is to offer hope to others. And again, I think that's a powerful statement and a good reminder. Being and becoming the healing environment is a core understanding.
of caring science and of this Caritas process. So it's the moment of care when your authentic presence with another person makes a difference. Beyond the tasks that you do, the medications that you bring, and the words that you say, it's a heart-to-heart connection. And even if it's momentary, it can change both individuals in that moment and beyond. As Concordia Nursing students, you are encouraged to connect with your patients on a human-to-human level, and this requires intentional presence.
And I always use a quote, I didn't write it up here, but it is be where your feet are. And that actually comes from Professor King. And I think it's just, again, a powerful reminder that, you know, our body and our, and our actions need to be in the same place at the same time. And then again, if we're looking at how we can do this in action, then one of the most important things that you can do is just take a cleansing breath before you enter into someone else's environment.
be curious to learn more about what is meaningful and important to each person and not discarding or dismissing someone's perspective. And then really making a conscious effort to show patients or people in general that you want to hear their story. It's that eye contact, making sure you're using their preferred name, creating that opportunity for silence and pause and reflection, and then just really creating space for others'beliefs. this becomes really important as well. There's also, I think this KERATOS process can also be used to guide your interprofessional journey.
So maintaining a healthy and faith-filled relationship with yourself and others is really vital for teamwork. And that's definitely required in healthcare. So as healthcare becomes more interprofessional, we can inspire others through the deep relationships and supportive communication.
And this requires us to have faith in our colleagues and build supportive teams. And as you move into nursing, you will see truly it's all about the team. You really cannot do this by yourself.
And then wrapping up Keratose process one and two, this is just a simple suggestion for a way that you can put this into practice. So if you're using the time that you're washing your hands to not just clean your hands with of course, is important, but also cleanse your spirit and prepare to enter into someone else's environment to be the environment. That's a really powerful moment. And as nurses, we're washing our hands all the time, and we're going from one situation to another.
So being able to do that and kind of cleanse ourselves and be ready for the next encounter is really important as well. And I'm going to read a clinical narrative to you in class. And it's called It's Not Easy.
I will ask you which topics from the week and which Caritas processes it enables. I'm essentially giving you the answers here, but I will read that in class and we'll kind of talk through these questions right here as we move forward.