Celebrating Caritas Colleague Kathleen Sitzman

January 2025

We wish to celebrate and honor our Caritas Colleagues and share their contribution and commitment to Caring Science. This month we are celebrating: Kathleen Sitzman, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF, FAAN, Watson Caring Science Scholar, WCSI Faculty Associate.

My Journey

I have been a nurse and nurse educator for 40 years. I first learned of Watson’s Theory of Human Caring when I was working on my bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of Utah and read Watson’s little green book, “Nursing: The philosophy and Science of Caring (1979).” This one book transformed my understanding of nursing practice and of life and has formed the underpinnings of all my professional and personal endeavors since that time. I have intentionally focused my entire professional life on conveying and sustaining caring wherever I worked and whatever I did (and still do). My caring journey started with a focus on the nurse-patient relationship and matured into inclusive caring for colleagues, organizations, communities, all humanity, the earth, the cosmos, and beyond.

I eagerly read everything Jean Watson writes and then integrate what I learn into my daily life and work. When I became a Nurse Educator in 2001, I integrated Watson’s theory into every class I taught, whether it was pharmacology, research, history, communication, theory, community health and others. I have taught thousands of learners about Watson’s work and it deeply resonates with them whether they are seasoned experts or nursing students in their first year of study. I have co-written many textbooks with Watson’s theoretical perspective in them because I believe learning and professional practice should be steeped in caring in all its’ forms.

In 2015, I created a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) entitled “Caring Science, Mindful Practice” (CSMP) so that anyone anywhere in the world with access to the Internet, could have a free and open opportunity to learn about Jean’s work and join us in spreading awareness and appreciation for the kind of deep caring that Jean Watson describes in her work. Eight volunteers who love caring science work with me to offer this course twice a year. To date, the total number of registrants for all of the sessions is 7,769, and for all sessions that have occurred between 2015 and now, 2,358 learners have fully completed the CSMP MOOC and earned certificates of completion. The overall average completion rate for all of the CSMP sessions to date has risen to about 41%, which is unprecedented for a free and open online course. In 2017, I also created an additional MOOC entitled “Watson’s Caring in the Digital World” where those on the caring path could find inspiration for how to bring deep caring into digital settings. Learners overwhelmingly voice appreciation for the opportunity to learn in this way, and they also affirm the life-changing impact of Jean’s work in their own lives and work.

Jean’s work has helped me become the person, the nurse, and the scholar that I was destined to become, and I would not be “me” without Jean Watson.

Meaningful Experiences with Jean Watson

There are two especially meaningful experiences I have shared with Jean:

  • Jean was on my dissertation Committee at the University of Northern Colorado and she was instrumental in supporting my dissertation work that was focused on conveying and sustaining caring in online nursing classrooms. It was a deep honor to have her support and mentoring as I completed my PhD in Nursing Education and I will never forget it. One day, when I was particularly weary of the doctoral process, Jean quipped, “You can jump through the hoops, or you can set them on fire and then jump through them- Your choice.” Needless to say, I refrained from starting any fires and I still chuckle every time I think about what she said so long ago.
  • Jean was one of my supporters when I was honored with a Fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing. During the ceremony in Washington, D.C., she sat with my adult daughter (who was alone in the audience) as I received my award. My daughter and I will forever remember her kindness that day. My daughter was especially excited to meet and sit with the woman she had heard about daily during her “growing up” years. You see, my children were not yet born when I started my caring science work, and when they were born, they were brought up according to the 10 Caritas Processes®, and they heard about every book, paper, and lesson plan that I created that integrated Jean’s work in some way.

The most important thing I can say at this point in my life is that Jean’s work has been the scaffolding of my entire life since the day I picked up that first little green book of hers in the University of Utah Health Sciences Library. Jean’s work has helped me become the person, the nurse, and the scholar that I was destined to become, and I would not be “me” without Jean Watson. I will continue this work until I am no longer able because the world needs her light, love, vision, and brilliance- especially now.

Publications

I could list all of the books and papers (over a hundred) I have written that were driven by Watson’s work in some way or other, but I won’t do that here because nobody wants to read all of that! The ones listed below are my favorites, and they illustrate my ongoing commitment to exploring, disseminating, sharing, and implementing Jeans work.

Most Recent
  • Oehlert, J.K, & Sitzman, K. (2024). System innovation: A holistic approach to disrupting with love and human caring.
Other Favorites:
  • Sitzman, K. & Watson, J. (2017). Watson’s Caring Science in the digital world: A guide for caring when interacting, teaching, and learning in cyberspace. New York: Springer Publishing.
  • Sitzman, K. & Watson, J. (2018). Caring science, mindful practice: Implementing Watson's Human Caring Theory (2nd Edition). New York: Springer Publishing.
  • Sitzman, K. (2024). Navigating the Complex World of Digital Communication in Balzer, J. (2024).
  • Communication in Nursing, (10th Edition). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier. Sitzman, K. (2024). Caring Communication with Clients and Colleagues Whose Behaviors Are Challenging in Balzer, J. (2024). Communication in Nursing, (10th Edition). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier.
  • Sitzman, K. (2018). The evolution of knowledge development related to caring in online classrooms and Beyond in Rosa, W., Horton-Deutsh, S., & Watson, J. (2018). Handbook for Caring Science: Expanding the Paradigm. New York, New York: Springer Publishing Company.
  • Sitzman, K. (2018). Expanding global reach through a massive open online course in mindfulness and caring in Rosa, W., Horton-Deutsh, S., & Watson, J. (2018). Handbook for Caring Science: Expanding the Paradigm. New York, New York: Springer Publishing Company.
  • Sitzman, K. (2017). Building global Caritas community through online education in Lee, S., Palmieri, P., & Watson, J. (2017). Global advances in human caring literacy. New York, New York: Springer Publishing Company.
  • Sitzman, K. (2011). Teaching-learning professional caring based on Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring in Hills, M. & Watson, J. (2011). Creating a caring science curriculum: An Emancipatory pedagogy for nursing. New York, New York: Springer Publishing Company.
  • Evans, K., Larson, K. & Sitzman, K. (2024). “You can’t pour from an empty cup:” Nurse experiences two years into the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal for Human Caring, 29(1).
  • Sitzman, K., Carpenter, T., Cherry, K., Craven, I. (2023). Exploring the usefulness of theory-guided reflection during the COVID-19 Pandemic. ANS, 46(3),235-248.
  • McGinnis, E., Sitzman, K. (2022).Preferred self-care behaviors of participants who have completed a caring science online course. International Journal for Human Caring, 26(4), 1-10.
  • Sitzman, K., & Craven, I. (2021). Caring during COVID-19: Ten insights inspired by nurse narratives. American Nurse Journal, HealthCom Media, 16(4), Web Exclusive.
  • Sitzman, K., Muller, D. (2018). Usefulness of Watson’s Caring Science for online educational practices in disciplines outside of nursing. Advances in Nursing Science, 41(4), 53-63.
  • Sitzman, K. (2017). Theory-guided self-care for mitigating emotional strain in nursing: Watson’s Caring Science. International Journal for Human Caring, 21(2), 1-2.
  • Sitzman, K. (2017). Evolution of Watson’s Human Caring Science in the digital age. International Journal for Human Caring, 21(1), 46-52.
  • Sitzman, K., Jensen, A., Chan, S. (2016). Creating a global community of learners in nursing and beyond: Caring science, mindful practice massive open online course (MOOC). Nursing Education Perspectives, 37(5), 269-274.
  • Hebdon, M., Clayton, M., Sitzman, K. (2016). Caring intention transformation in an interprofessional massive open online course. International Journal for Human Caring, 20(4), 185-192.
  • Sitzman, K. (2016). What student cues prompt online instructors to offer caring interventions? Nursing Education Perspectives, 37(2), 61-71.
  • Sitzman, K. (2016). Mindful communication for caring online. Advances in Nursing Science (ANS), 39(1), 38-47.
  • Sitzman, K. (2015). Sense, connect, facilitate: Nurse educator experiences of caring through Watson's lens. International Journal for Human Caring, 19(3), 25-29.
  • Sitzman, K. (2010). Student-preferred caring behaviors for online nursing education. Nursing Education Perspectives, 31(3), 171-178.

Learn more about my work on my website: caringsciencemindfulpractice.com

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