Articles: empathy.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of an ethic of care. Caring as a concept has long been associated with nursing, but in more recent times there has been a strong move to promote an ethic of care as a fundamental concept of nursing. ⋯ Issues that need to be addressed include the inadequate articulation of the concept to inform and guide practice, and also the emotively laden language utilized by some writers. It is concluded that an ethic of care shows promise to advance nursing knowledge and practice and requires increased research and dialogue to clarify the concept.
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Editorial Comment
Physician-assisted suicide. Compassionate care or brave New World?
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The purpose of this phenomenological, Heideggerian hermeneutical study was to describe the lived experiences of 23 undergraduate nursing students in relation to their perceptions of "caring" experiences in their nursing programs. Data were collected by the primary investigators at a statewide nursing convention, with students relating stories of critical student experiences related to caring. Themes related to caring experiences included "caring as offering," "leaps ahead caring," and "creating a caring place." A recurrent pattern of "power inherent in teaching" was identified across student narratives, suggesting the need to study how teachers can use the tact of teaching to empower students. Implications drawn from the data suggest the need to explore how nursing students' learning is shaped by caring interactions with nurse clinicians and other health professionals as well as with nursing faculty.