Simone Roachs 7 Cs of

Caring
A presentation of a nursing theory focused on Caring

Joey Dee M. Bravo, RN

MSN, St. Paul University Philippines, Batch 15

Meaning of Caring
Sister Simone Roach, (1992), states that caring is
the human mode of being . Roach (1992) discusses
how people in healthcare professions care for
others not because they are required to do so by
their jobs, but because they are human beings and
this trait of caring is intrinsic to all humans .
According to Roach (1992) caring is the underlying
concept that forms the basis of what nurses do
each and every day.

Roach (1992) posed an interesting question during

her work on caring. This question is:

What is a nurse actually doing when

he or she is caring?
The Seven Cs of caring have been developed by
Simone Roach in response to this question. These
are described as attributes of caring that aid in
identifying the specific caring behaviors that a
nurse engages in when providing care for a patient
.

Sister Simone Roach

Seven Cs of Caring
1. Compassion
2. Competence
3. Conscience
4. Confidence
5. Commitment
6. Comportment
7. Creativity

Simone Roachs 7 Cs of
Caring and its application on:
Education
Research
Practice

Education
The conceptual framework underlying the curriculum of
Mennonite College of Nursing consists of a formulation of the
faculty's conceptualization of nursing. It incorporates concepts
derived from numerous caring, behavioral and nursing theories,
including the theory developed by Sister M. Simone Roach.

The curriculum is built upon the eight key concepts of

humankind, environment, research, legal/ethical/political
dimensions, information processing, teaching/learning, health
promotion, and management. The development of these eight
key concepts leads to four outcome abilities inherent to nursing
practice. These outcome abilities are: caring, critical thinking,
communication, and professional practice.

Research
Roach 7Cs of Human Caring Theory was used in the research study
entitled The Students Experience of Learning Caring in a College of
Nursing Grounded in a Caring Philosophy (Drumm, 2006).

On this study, it demonstrated the importance of connecting caring

theory to caring practice. For nurse educators the challenge is to
convey to students early on in their education the value and power of
studying the substantive base of caring knowledge. Aligning caring in
the curriculum, educationally and philosophically facilitates the
students understanding of caring in nursing situations and supports the
students growing in their understanding of caring through modeling.
The students revealed through their stories that those faculty who
demonstrated caring behaviors improved their understanding and
learning of caring.

Practice
The Scripps Mercy Hospital Division of Nursing adopted the
theoretical framework of Sr. Simone Roachs caring model to serve
as the foundation for nursing professionalism and practice.

They aim to explore Sister Simone Roach's caring model using

poetry to illustrate real life nursing exemplars. These poems also
served as a means of recognizing and teaching nurses about caring
practices typical to their workplace.

The poems were shared during a celebratory luncheon, posted to

the website, described in a newsletter, shared as reflections, and
used for training in orientation. This novel approach was a wellreceived methodology for translating the caring model into practice.

Theory Critique
Sister M. Simone Roach 7Cs of Caring is a simple
theory and has a minimal number of concepts.
(compassion, competence, conscience, confidence,
commitment, comportment, creativity). The main
purpose of the theory is to serve as a vehicle
through which nurses interact with patients and and
assist them to cope with suffering, to find meaning
in their experiences, to promote health and wellness
and to die with dignity.

Theory Critique

Theory Critique
The concept of caring and caring attributes, which is
the seven Cs, that are central to the theory are clearly
defined in identifying the specific caring behaviors that
a nurse engages in when providing care for a patient.
Roachs theory offers clear definitions and contextual
linkages with the concepts of the nursing discipline
(person, nurse, environment and health) in the nurseclient interactions, thus further explicating the
definitions.

Theory Critique
Roachs Seven Cs used as a framework, suggesting
categories of human behavior within which
professional caring is to be understood. In
compassionate and competent acts; in relationships
qualified by confidence; through informed, sensitive
conscience; through commitment and fidelity; and
in a manner of dress and language in harmony with
held beliefs about the dignity of the person, specific
manifestations of caring are actualized.

Theory Critique
Behavior expressed by the seven Cs says a great
deal about personality identity, most importantly,
such a way of virtuous acting encompasses much of
what a professional person wants to be. It brings the
importance of caring to the forefront and exemplifies
the disciplines values. Her theory employ an
interdisciplinary approach, weaving together
spirituality, aesthetics, creativity, self healing and
educational and cultural factors in order to examine
nursing from all perspective.

Research utilizing the

Theory of Caring of
Sister Simone Roach

 A research entiled Concept Analysis: The

Clarification of Body Adornment (Maykutt, 2014)
utilized the theory of Seven Cs in Caring by
Simone Roach.

The study aimed is to clarify the concept of body

adornment informed by Roachs (2002) caring
theory, specifically the attribute of comportment.

 In the study, body adornment is a statement of

Who I Am as an Individual with implications for
Who I Am as a Professional. It reveals nuances
involved in creating a professional bodily
representation for a RN. (Maykutt, 2014)

This concept analysis supports Roachs (2002)

statement who you are by your dress (p. 48). Body
adornment while requiring refinement as a concept
specific to nursing theory should be viewed as a
measurable component of Roachs (2002) theory;
and thus, operationally defined using the attributes,
antecedents, and consequences.

 The nursing practice setting, our personal beliefs

and values, agency specific policies, as well as
the recipient of care preferences (reflective of a
patients personal interpretation of the message
conveyed by the bodily presentation of the RN)
should inform the choice of body adornment.
Observance to body adornment, suitable to the
profession and those we care for, reveals
respect for the dignity of a person as a human
being (Roach, 2002).

 Although a relationship between comportment, as a

caring attribute as theorized by Roach (2002), and
professional bodily representation has been proposed,
substantiation of this claim requires further examination
and evidence. If comportment theoretically exemplifies
the epitome of a professional bodily representation then
understanding body adornment as a human expression
is necessary. Inclusion of body adornment, reflective of
comportment, may allow for an opportunity to
genuinely care for ourselves as professionals while
allowing for the positive identification and connections
between other RNs, our patients, and our healthcare
colleagues (Maykutt, 2014).

References:
Burnell, L., & Agan, D. (2011). Compassionate care: Can it be defined and
measured? The development of the Compassionate Care Assessment Tool. Scripps
Mercy Hospital. San Diego.

Chivers, L. (2002). Body adornment: Piercings and tattoos. Nursing Standard,

16(34), 41-45. Retrieved from http://nursingstandard.rcnpublishing.co.uk/

Davidson, J. (2012). Poetic Transcription to Explore the Concept of Caring. Retrieved

from:http://search.proquest.com/docview/1114167944/AC11353ED8084223PQ/4?
accountid=33657

Diekelmann, N. (1990). Nursing education: Caring, dialogue, and practice. Journal of

Nursing Education, 29(7), 300-305.

Felgen, J. A. (2003). Caring: Core value, currency, and commodity ... Is it time to get
tough about soft? Nursing Administration Quarterly, 27(3), 208-214. Retrieved
from http://journals.lww.com/naqjournal/pages/default.as px

References:
Lehna, C. et al., (1999). Nursing attire: Indicators of professionalism?
Journal of Professional Nursing, 15(3), 192-199. Retrieved from
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Mangum, S., Garrison, C., Lind, C., & Hilton, H. G. (1997). First impressions
of the nurse and nursing care. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 11(5), 39-47.

Maykutt, C. (2014). Concept Analysis: The Clarification of Body Adornment,

International Journal of Caring Sciences 790, p 142.

Tanner, C.A. (1990). Reflections on the curriculum revolution. Journal of

Nursing Education, 29(7), 295-299.

Roach, M. S. (1984).Caring: The Human Mode of Being, Implications for

Nursing.Ottawa: The Canadian Hospital Association Press. ISBN 0-77273740-1