Professional Caring

Reading Selection 1-3 Read the following. If an opportunity arises, discuss it with
friends. Offer your own thoughts and opinions. Make comparisons with your own
country or others to enrich the discussion.

PROFESSIONAL CARING

Professional caring is based on a foundation of providing support for people in

need as well as promoting their personal growth and development. This can mean
progressing from a position of physical and/or emotional health challenges to a
position of wellness. Earlier in this chapter, we reviewed the definition of health
and discovered that it includes the biological, psychological, sociological, and
spiritual aspects of a person’s lived experience. Health also includes the element
of environment: factors that can help or hinder an individual’s ability to meet
everyday challenges and enjoy quality of life.
According to the International Council of Nurses (ICN), nurses have four
responsibilities: preventing illness, restoring health, alleviating suffering, and
promoting health (ICN 1975). These are the domains of professional caring, and
they apply to all health professions. In the United States and Canada, we often
refer to Jean Watson’s theory of Transpersonal Caring.1 She, like others, sees that
nursing and medicine have moved from the medical model of care to a model that
includes valuing the transpersonal relationship between the caregiver and care-
receiver—that professional caring is a standard of practice. It includes
compassion, competence, confidence, conscience, and commitment.
Additionally, a number of theories of health-care practices support
multicultural care. Evident in our health-care philosophy, this is the belief that
health professionals require a level of cultural competency to provide the best
care: a solid understanding of sociocultural practices from around the world. This
knowledge helps them provide an additional level of empathy and promotes trust,
respect, and optimal health outcomes.
 READING EXERCISES
The following reading exercises challenge your ability to understand the
meaning of the selection and to learn and use new vocabulary.
Understanding the General Meaning
1) Read the text again. Think about it. Do you understand it? What is the
general meaning of the text? What is its focus?
2) Although the reading talks about nursing, it claims to be applicable to
other health professions. For example, the four responsibilities of nurses
are described. Are these the same professional characteristics of other
health professions? If so, name those professions.
Building Vocabulary
Take a moment now to review what you have just read. Circle any words that are
new to you. Write them down here. In a moment, you may see them again in
exercises that will help you understand their meaning. If not, at the end of this
section, feel free to use your dictionary.

Multiple Choice. Here are some words to review. Do you understand them? Try
to discover their meaning from their context-based use in the reading selection
and in the stem of the question. Again, these are multiple-choice questions, the
most common type of question you’ll find on nursing exams.
1. I am a competent nurse. In this context, competent can best be described as
a) learning about a subject.
b) skilled, knowledgeable, and capable.
c) unsure of how to treat new problems.
2. Canada is a multicultural mosaic while the United States is more of a
melting pot. In this context, melting pot can best be described as
a) each culture being valued as separate to mainstream culture.
b) an expectation that all new immigrants assimilate into mainstream
culture.
c) only Caucasians are valued
3. ) My father faces the health challenge of diabetes. In this context, health
challenge can best be described as
a) He is sick and should be in the hospital.
b) He is afraid of this illness and cannot cope. He needs a full-time nurse.
c) He has a chronic illness that he must treat and be aware of as he goes about
his life.
4. My father’s lived experience of diabetes has been positive. He is quite
comfortable with it. In this context, lived experience can best be described
as
a) His unique, personal experience with this health challenge. It has been one
of acceptance and adaptability.
b) He hates his diabetes.
c) His personal experience of living with diabetes has been bad and he
considers himself a sick person.
5. Professional caring means having high standards of care, knowledge, and
skills to help people meet their health-care needs. In this context,
professional caring can best be described as
a) requiring advanced education, training, and preparation.
b) a function that can be done by anyone with compassion and a will to help.
c) simply a synonym for caring.
6. Veronica has high standards of cleanliness for herself, her home, and her
job. In this context, high standards can best be described as
a) she is messy.
b) she doesn’t wash or clean very often, only once a month.
c) cleanliness is an important goal for her.
7. If you forget to change a patient’s dressing, does it affect your conscience?
In this context, conscience can best be described as
a) a moral sense of being right or wrong.
b) making you think you are overworked.
c) laziness.

Using New Words in Sentences. Use the following words or phrases in

complete sentences.
1) demonstrate a high level of competency
2) challenge, epilepsy
3) standards, care, professional
 SPEAKING EXERCISE

Read the following sentences aloud. Ask a peer or teacher to help you with
pronunciation. Proceed to the Pronunciation Hints section following. This
will also help.

These are the domains of professional caring and apply to all health professions.
Ravinder has a unique, personal experience with this health challenge of leprosy.
It has been one of acceptance and adaptability. Mr. Heinrich has severe
Alzheimer’s disease. He is not competent to manage his own finances.

WRITING EXERCISE—REFLECTIVE WRITING

Think about all that you have read and learned so far. Write your personal
thoughts and feelings about both the content and context.
Reading Selection 1-4

Read the following text about holistic care. Notice any words that are new to you.
They will be important to you in the upcoming exercises.

HOLISTIC CARE
Each individual’s response to illness and health can be different. Today, health
professionals acknowledge this and use holistic health assessments when working
with patients. The positive outcomes of prescribed treatments are often very
dependent on that patient’s lifestyle, culture, and access to good health care prior
to, during, and after initial contact.
Holism is a philosophy in which an individual cannot be separated from all
the parts of his or her life. This includes family, culture, environment, community
and occupational relationships. All aspects interrelate to affect the quality of life
of an individual. These come together to become part of an individual’s lived
experience.

READING EXERCISES
As with previous reading selections, the exercises that follow will help you
understand the meaning of the passage and learn new vocabulary.

Understanding the General Meaning Read the text again.

Think about it. What is holistic health?

Building Vocabulary
Take a moment now to review what you have just read. Write the words that you
see highlighted into the spaces below. Then define them in your own words. In a
moment, you may see them again in exercises that will help you understand their
meaning. If not, at the end of this section, feel free to use your dictionary

To build vocabulary you need to be able not only to identify new words and their
meaning, but also to be able to explain the words to others and use them properly.
These exercises will help you do that.
Mix and Match.
Recognizing words that have a similar meaning is one way to build vocabulary.
Complete the exercise in Box 1-2 to help you do this.

Explaining the Meaning of Words.

Read the following to expand new vocabulary. Find the meaning of each
statement based on what you’ve just learned as well as the simple context of the
statement.
1) Health professionals such as doctors and nurses value the relationships
they build with their clients or patients. What does this mean?
2) The core of the helping relationship is the rapport the health professional
builds with the client. It is built on trust, respect, warmth, and empathy.
What does rapport mean?
3) The philosophical underpinning of all health care is the value we all place
on life. What does underpinning mean?
4) Philosophically and morally health professionals are concerned with
helping people who cannot fully help themselves. What does morally
mean?