4/11/2021 Empowering Patients

Many many years ago I was being pressed to articulate my deepest passion about Nursing. Specifically, what did I believe is the fundamental core value of the nursing profession?  After thinking about it deeply, I came up with a belief that our most important role is to facilitate the humanization of patient care... which required that we first humanize the experience, practice and focus of nurses. Nurses cannot humanize patient care unless they are empowered in their role and in practice. Humanization of health care for patients means engagement of patients and their families in decisions about treatment choices, as well as end of life choices.  This ultimate exercise of free will is the pathway to fulfillment as a human….and the restriction of free will is dehumanizing.