Background: The concept of nursing as an “art,” in addition to a science, is not a new idea (Doan et al, 2018). However, a distinct field of “nursing humanities” (within the broader health humanities) has yet to take shape (McCaffrey, 2020). Nursing has its own history and identity, and nurses' work occurs from within a particular standpoint (Duarte et al., 2024). Nurses’ ongoing presence, particularly in hospitals, affords them a different way of relating with patients. Their proximity to patients, who may be living through moments of intense personal experience, opens a fruitful space for the humanities to create moments of meaningful connection. Our intention in this presentation is not to prescribe how nurses should use the humanities but to bring to light how they are being used already.

Methods: Using the interpretive methodology of philosophical hermeneutics, we interviewed 20 nurses across Canada to discuss why humanities were important for them and how it showed up in their practice.

Results: Our study reveals that nurses use the humanities to respond to patient suffering and navigate the challenges posed by modern healthcare systems. This does not necessarily take place on a large scale, but is instead woven into daily interactions with patients, fellow healthcare providers, and nurse learners.

Discussion: Aligning with this year’s theme, we highlight how nurses’ personal and professional identities help facilitate humanities in clinical practice. By the end of this presentation, we hope learners will: 1) Recognize how personal and professional healthcare identities intersect with the humanities and 2) Identify ways that “nursing care” shows up, particularly when clinicians embrace practices that acknowledge the humanity of both nurse and patient.

Randip Dhaliwal is a PhD candidate at the University of Calgary. As a registered nurse, she has worked in a multitude of different settings, including acute care, public health, and community health. However, her primary passion is working alongside palliative care patients. Randip firmly believes in the importance of humanities and the role that it can play in understanding illness experiences, particularly for those approaching end of life.

COI Disclosure: I do not have an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with any for-profit or not-for-profit organizations

Davey Hamada is a PhD student in the Faculty of Nursing at The University of Calgary. He has worked as a child and youth mental health nurse since 2013 in both Ontario and British Columbia. For his doctoral dissertation, Davey intends to study occupational boredom in mental health nurses, bringing together insights from disparate fields such as psychology, business, philosophy, and the greater humanities. 

COI Disclosure: I do not have an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with any for-profit or not-for-profit organizations