The heart of nursing

The heart of nursing is intrinsically linked to what you do as a nurse and why you do it, but it is also about how you do it – the ways in which you represent and enact the core values and intent of the profession.

While some of your views and beliefs are likely to be shared with other students and experienced nurses, your reasons for wanting to be a nurse, and what you consider to be at the heart of nursing, will vary depending on your personal perspectives and experiences. This chapter begins by considering some of the common perspectives on nursing, noting how your own perspective is likely to change as you progress through your studies and into practice. We look at why people choose nursing, the different views and influences they are likely to encounter and the diverse range of roles and settings in which they may work. We then discuss how this informs what it means to be a nurse and your emerging sense of professional identity. The chapter concludes by exploring caring, compassion and kindness – concepts that lie at the heart of nursing, even though they are likely to be understood, applied and experienced differently in the context of each nurse’s own practice.