Since nursing involves one human being helping another, the notion of
humaneness has been associated traditionally with nursing. Nursing
practice is criticized justifiably when it is not humane and is taken
for granted or praised when it is. The expectation of humaneness is so
ingrained in the concept of nursing that some nurses are surprised when
it is acknowledged by patients. If a patient thanks them for their
kindness, patience, or concern, these nurses reply, in their
embarrassment, "Oh, that's part of my job."
However, to equate nursing's humanistic character solely with an
overflowing of the milk of human kindness is a serious error of
oversimplification. Such a limited view, in fact, is a dehumanizing
denial of man's potentials. As a human transaction, the phenomenon of
nursing contains all the human potentials and limitations of each unique
participant. For instance, frustration, discouragement, anger,
rejection, withdrawal, loneliness, aggression, impatience, envy, grief,
despair, pain, and suffering are constituents of nursing, as well as
tenderness, caring, courage, trust, joy, hope. In other words, since
nursing is lived by humans, the "stuff" of nursing includes all possible
responses of man--man needing and man helping--in his situation.