That Caring Moment

I could see something healing come over her as she began to shift awkwardly in her seat. We were in a CODE YOU zoom session and had asked if anyone had experienced a “Caring Moment” in their healthcare career. A “Caring Moment” is simply a human-to-human interaction that creates a moment of healing for both people. It is an idea from the Watson Caring Science Institute. Here is how their website defines a “Caring Moment.”

“A caring moment involves an action and choice by both the nurse and the other. The moment of coming together presents them the opportunity to decide how to be in the moment and in the relationship as well as what to do with and during the moment. If the caring moment is transpersonal, each feels a connection with the other at the spirit level, thus it transcends time and space, opening up new possibilities for healing and human connection at a deeper level than physical interaction.”

I watched the memory take shape in her, even on the screen. Yet this tenderhearted nurse stayed silent as others shared. The reality was she was exhausted. She was using all of her inner resources to just show up that night. Later, however, we broke into small groups where again the question was raised. And this time, her experience poured out of her through awkward giggles, tears, and a surprising glimpse of joy. She shared with those present how she always felt a strange draw to care for her ICU patient’s feet. Amid Covid, feet are often the last thing a nurse has time to think about. Her colleagues gently chided her as she offered her patients this gift, but she did it anyway. She realized in that class that day that it was in those moments sitting at her patient’s feet as they fought for their lives that she felt the human-to-human connection, a sense of purpose, and transcendent healing in them both.

Have you experienced a “Caring Moment?”