Nurses' Perceptions of Caring at Work

OBJECTIVES Study objectives were to explore nurses' perceptions of self-care, co-worker, and leader caring within healthcare work environments and assess reliability of 3 Watson Caritas Scores. BACKGROUND Assessing caring in an organization where Watson's Theory of Human Caring guides nursing practice offers insight into the professional practice environment. METHOD This study reports quantitative data from mixed-methods descriptive, cross-sectional survey of 1307 RNs at a large healthcare system. RESULTS Mean scores were self = 5.46, co-worker = 5.39, and leader score = 5.53, and median scores were >5.6 (range, 1-7). All scales had a positive and significant correlation to likelihood to recommend the organization, with the largest being feeling cared for by leaders. Internal reliability of the 3 scales was ≥0.9. Conclusion Nurse perceptions of caring may influence the organization's reputation. Assessing the perception of caring among nursing staff after the introduction and enculturation of this framework is needed. Results support psychometric value for 3 Watson Caritas Scores.