Professional Values: Sewa, Mudita, and Ubuntu In reflecting on my experiences in nursing and attempting to frame my nursing practice, I have discovered three values that influence who I am as a nurse: sewa, mudita, and Ubuntu. Sewa, or seva, is a Sanskrit word that describes service performed without any expectation of award (“BBC,” 2014). Sewa entails physical, mental, and material service, and unlike altruism, which removes the self from the service of others, sewa allows me to embrace my role in service (“BBC,” 2014). The Buddhist virtue of mudita describes the delight and joy derived from the well-being of others, and achieved through active encouragement and affirmation of others (Steinberg, 2017). Derived from Nguni, Ubuntu is, at once,
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As a first-year student, I tended to respond to the question “Why nursing?” with a response summarizing a desire to help patients. I had only a basic understanding of what the service of nursing entails. From experiences in the clinical setting, I gained greater insight into what it means to truly accompany and provide for my patients. Sewa helped me to understand that I must find joy in performing these services, for I cannot – and should not – depend upon gratification in the outcomes. I have also come to recognize sewa as a cyclical value: the principle strengthens my practice, and continued practice strengthens my understanding of the principle. Humanization in nursing implies mudita, the nurse’s efforts to affirm the patient in her abilities and to find joy in her restored sense of holism. The idea of mudita has provided me with insight into various parallels to the role of a nurse: a cheerleader, a mother figure, or a host, among them. The nurse-as-cheerleader sees, believes in, and values the strengths, abilities, and potential of her patient, providing encouraging and support as the patient pursues their goals. The nurse-as-mother-figure nurtures her patient toward wholeness, recognizing that this process will bring meaning and joy to patient and caregiver alike. The nurse-as-host finds values in working to remove barriers and facilitate the journey toward the patient’s sense of well-being. Mudita encompasses all of these roles and ties the nurse and patient in a relationship of support and mutual best interest. Humanization in nursing prescribes Ubuntu, in that the nurse and patient recognize in one another a shared humanity, from which stem the trust, care, and respect that characterize the patient-nurse relationship. The philosophy of Ubuntu reminds me to see in patients and myself a unique potential and a human promise. Ubuntu provides the imagery of two
As a first-year student, I tended to respond to the question “Why nursing?” with a response summarizing a desire to help patients. I had only a basic understanding of what the service of nursing entails. From experiences in the clinical setting, I gained greater insight into what it means to truly accompany and provide for my patients. Sewa helped me to understand that I must find joy in performing these services, for I cannot – and should not – depend upon gratification in the outcomes. I have also come to recognize sewa as a cyclical value: the principle strengthens my practice, and continued practice strengthens my understanding of the principle. Humanization in nursing implies mudita, the nurse’s efforts to affirm the patient in her abilities and to find joy in her restored sense of holism. The idea of mudita has provided me with insight into various parallels to the role of a nurse: a cheerleader, a mother figure, or a host, among them. The nurse-as-cheerleader sees, believes in, and values the strengths, abilities, and potential of her patient, providing encouraging and support as the patient pursues their goals. The nurse-as-mother-figure nurtures her patient toward wholeness, recognizing that this process will bring meaning and joy to patient and caregiver alike. The nurse-as-host finds values in working to remove barriers and facilitate the journey toward the patient’s sense of well-being. Mudita encompasses all of these roles and ties the nurse and patient in a relationship of support and mutual best interest. Humanization in nursing prescribes Ubuntu, in that the nurse and patient recognize in one another a shared humanity, from which stem the trust, care, and respect that characterize the patient-nurse relationship. The philosophy of Ubuntu reminds me to see in patients and myself a unique potential and a human promise. Ubuntu provides the imagery of two