Kristen Swanson’s Theory of Caring

  Swanson's caring theory outlines five caring processes: knowing, being with, doing for, enabling, and maintaining belief. Nurse educators can utilize these caring processes to teach nursing students by cultivating meaningful, healing relationships. Spending time with your patients, what will you gather from them as a nursing professional? What collaborative initiatives come to mind? Smith and Parker (2015) states, when a provider takes the time to know, be with, do for, enable, and maintain belief in the other, the recipient feels a sense of wholeness - that is they feel understood, valued, safe and comforted, capable, and hopeful for the future. I believe caring and healing is possible whenever a provider acts with the recipient’s best interests (pp. 530-531).