Caring in nursing education: an analysis

Caring has been cited by many authors as the core value of nurse educator-student relationships. Others have discussed the need for caring to be translated and transmitted in the practices of nursing education. However, a clear conceptualization of what caring in nursing education is and how it is transmitted to students does not yet exist. The following is an exploration of the concept of caring in nursing education as it is revealed in nursing research and literature. The authors present a critical analysis of the definitions, objectives, attributes and constraints of caring in nursing education. What is currently known and perceived about caring in nursing education, as well as what is not known and what needs to be known, is highlighted. Imperatives for future research are identified.