Caring Behaviors in Nursing Education

Caring is essential to healing and is the essence of nursing. Today, more than ever, mentorships are a highly effective way for faculty and students to experience and model caring. As mentors and mentees build a culture of mutual caring and are cared for, in turn, by the mentorship program’s director, this environment enables self-discovery and knowledge transfer. This chapter defines caring in the nursing profession, with special attention to the theories of Jean Watson and Kristen Swanson and explores their application to the mentorship relationship and to the development of caring nurse competencies. Integrating caring behaviors traditionally associated with nursing practice within the mentorship relationship creates a sense of belonging and purpose which transforms both the student nurse’s experience and the professional nurse’s career. Among the tools this chapter offers are guides to caring behaviors, such as empathy, mindfulness, self-care, and compassion in the context of the mentorship program.