Care expressed and practiced in professional nursing models provides a way of looking at the nursing role from the aspect of care. It may seem excessive to consider aspects of caring and compassion in nursing.

Nursing is a profession that relies heavily on compassion and care. These qualities are essential to improving the health of patients. Nurses may experience caring and compassion in the practice of providing emotional assistance to their patients and their family members. Supporting patients and their families can reduce the anxiety and stress associated with illness or hospitalization.

Compassion is demonstrated through active listening, empathy, emotional support and information to help patients and their families make well-informed decisions. Compassionate nurses also take the time to understand their patients’ needs and work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals to provide high-quality care.

Nurses also have to take care of themselves, and that includes their co-workers. Nurses who are compassionate must look after themselves in order to avoid burnout and to provide the best possible care to their patients. Supporting their co-workers, sharing their knowledge, and collaborating to get the best results for patients are all ways that nurses can show compassion.

The iCARE Self-Assessment tool is a valuable resource that helps nurses to identify areas of strength and improvement in their care and compassion. Self-care, as a key component of compassion in caregiving is one insight from this discussion. To provide their best patient care, nurses must take good care of themselves both mentally and physically. The iCARE Self-Assessment also highlights the need to develop a compassionate and caring culture in the organization, which will improve patient outcomes as well as nurse satisfaction.