Humanistic Nursing Theory Paper

Applying the Humanistic Theory to Nursing Education

There has been much debate as to whether humanitarian values such as empathy are inherent attributes of individuals who desire to become nurses, or whether these values can be taught to student nurses (Richardson, Percy, & Hughes, 2015). The research as eluded that it is possible for students who lack humanitarian values to develop these values using appropriate materials with a focus on empathetic nursing. Unfortunately, with the monumental changes and challenges of today’s healthcare system, humanistic care is constantly being challenged as health care providers are struggling with their ability to continue to provide empathetic patient care due to the demands of their environments including the application of technology, electronic medical records, and productivity expectations (Schiffman, 2017). Nursing educators must recognize the challenges facing humanistic nursing care to overcome the barriers, instilling the importance of empathy and compassionate care to their student.

This scholarly paper will discuss the theory of humanism. We will then discourse the role of nurse educators in teaching humanistic nursing in the curriculum. We will then discuss the challenges facing

Additionally, the infamous nursing icon Florence Nightingale expressed humanistic nursing through her compassionate care. The theory of humanism is multidimensional with a focus on patient-provider interaction. This theory has a strong psychology background and was founded upon Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. For an individual to practice humanism, they must first achieve self-actualization which is at the peak of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid. This theory holds that humans are inherently good and self-motivated to continuously improve. Overall, this theory is important in nursing as it is focused on the nurse-patient relationship and their