Finding Meaning Through Kristen Swanson’s Caring Behaviors: A Cornerstone of Healing for Nursing Education

Abstract

Swanson’s (1991) middle range theory of caring has traditionally been used to define the care of patients and family members. Swanson’s caring theory outlines five caring processes: knowing, being with, doing for, enabling, and maintaining belief (p. 163). Nurse educators can utilize these caring processes to teach nursing students by cultivating meaningful, healing relationships. This article presents an example of a nursing faculty member’s application of this theory to her teaching pedagogy. This account serves to guide therapeutic teaching as well as to encourage further scholarly work examining the relationship between Swanson’s caring theory and nursing education.