“If we can take care of ourselves and pause and reflect on why we became a nurse, it helps us enter a patient’s environment ready to take on whatever challenge we are met with,” said San Jose Medical Center Nurse Manager, Bernice Yale, BSN, RN, (pictured above) of integrating Caring Science and the 10 Caritas Processes into her professional practice and educating others as a Caritas Coach.
Caring Science, introduced 15 years ago to Kaiser Permanente Northern California nurses, is the practice of caring for someone on a deeper emotional level, which helps nurses, patients, families, and health care team members build stronger connections. Nurses grow and find greater purpose in their work when they experience special moments of caring and connections.
The 10 Caritas Processes, intended to help people move beyond task-based practices and toward more authentic, caring practices, guide the Caring Science practice. San Rafael Medical Center Continuum Nurse Manager and Caritas Coach, Gail Sims, DNP, RN, says incorporating them into huddles, staff meetings and trainings, “promote an atmosphere of compassion and loving kindness in our daily interactions.”
Yale shares that integrating Caring Science into practice has helped her team care for one another, which positively impacts patient care. “When we all come to work, ready to work and provide care as a team, our patients get the best care from all of us.”
By focusing on this caring foundation, nurses help ensure that their work is of high quality and safe, which positively affects the patient’s healing process, their experience, and the best possible outcomes in clinical care.
Micro practices of Caring Science, offered through the Kaiser Permanente Caring Science Academy, such as HeartMath, Healing Circles and the Equine Leadership Program, provide nurses with opportunities to discover tools within to strengthen their nursing practice.
“I’ve realized that compassion, resilience, and connection are tenets I’ve naturally embraced in my daily work,” said Paul Jorge Dizon, MSN, RN, CMSRN, PMH-BC, a clinical practice consultant at the Fremont Medical Center and HeartMath Certified Trainer. “It has also inspired me to extend the same level of care to my peers by intentionally fostering a positive, healing environment and energetic connections that nurture a thriving workplace.”
For Redwood City Labor and Delivery nurse, Amanda Sayaseng, BSN, RN, embracing the principles of Caring Science has gone beyond her role as a nurse and has helped in her personal life. “It has allowed me to cultivate deeper compassion and empathy towards myself and others. I’ve deepened my practice of self-care and loving-kindness, which has significantly improved my emotional well-being.”