Justine's Story of Nursing Art: The Presentation of Nursing/"Justine's Story" and the Art of Nursing

This patient's story was constructed from a study designed to describe how the art of nursing was perceived and understood by patients during a critical illness. Two in-depth interviews were conducted during the recovery phase of this person's illness to answer the question, "When is nursing (considered) art?" The initial lead-in to the discussion was, "Tell me a story about a nursing situation that really stood out in your mind-one that was significant and meaningful." The interviews were tape recorded, transcribed, condensed into a short story and shared with the participant. The researcher, also, composed a response to the person's story that personally expressed what the story triggered for her. Undergraduate nursing students were invited to reflect and respond to the "aesthetic face" of nursing from the perspective of a person who was nursed while critically ill. An example of a student response is included. The author of this response to Dr Kathryn Gramling's research on the art of nursing as perceived by patients agrees with patient Justine's assessment of the art. The author believes that the expression of a nurse's personality during the caring process creates the art. Justine saw all her nurses, even the brusque one, as performing in a caring way, each according to his/her own personality. The author believes this definition of the art of nursing is valid. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]