Contributor: Janet L. Attisha
2024-25 Nursology.net Intern
Author – Rozzano Locsin,PhD, RN, FAAN
First published – 2005
The model has evolved since first published in 2005. This figure is the most recent one from TCCN website.
Major Concepts
- Caring is a substantive focus of the discipline and practice of nursing.
- Caring is not unique to nursing but is unique in nursing.
- The nursing encounter, as a co-created momentary situation is understood as the relationship of the nurse and nursed in which all nursing occurs.
- To be human is to be caring, i.e. all persons are caring as they are human.
Typology
Locsin’s Theory of Technological Competency as Caring in Nursing (TCCN) is called a theory because it provides a systematic and conceptual framework that explains how technology and caring coexist in nursing practice.
Brief Description
Rozzano C. Locsin’s Theory of Technological Competency as Caring in Nursing (TCCN) views technology and caring not as opposites but as complementary expressions of nursing. The theory asserts that being technologically competent enables nurses to know persons more fully as caring beings. Technology is thus understood as an instrument for caring rather than a barrier to it.
At its core, TCCN is grounded in Boykin and Schoenhofer’s Nursing as Caring theory, which defines nursing as the nurturing of persons living and growing in caring. Locsin extends this foundation by positioning technological competency—the knowledgeable, skillful, and ethical use of technology—as an essential expression of caring in modern healthcare environments.
The theory’s key assumptions include:
- Persons are caring by virtue of their humanness.
- Nursing is a discipline and practice of knowing persons as caring.
- Technological competency is a process of knowing persons through the use of technologies.
- Knowing persons as caring occurs in mutual, moment-to-moment nursing encounters.
- Technology is used intentionally to enhance, not replace, the nurse–person relationship.
TCCN identifies three interrelated processes that represent technological knowing in nursing practice:
- Knowing persons as caring (recognizing the whole person beyond illness or data),
- Designing nursing practice (using technology to create caring encounters), and
- Participating in the process of knowing (engaging continuously with the person through competent use of technology).
Ultimately, TCCN emphasizes that technology, when used with competence and compassion, enables nurses to know, support, and affirm the humanity of persons. The theory provides a conceptual and ethical framework for integrating rapidly advancing technologies into nursing practice, research, education, and policy without losing nursing’s caring essence.
Primary Sources
Locsin, R. C. (2005). Technological competency as caring in nursing: A model for practice. Sigma Theta Tau International.
Locsin, R.C., & Purnell, M.J. (2015). Advancing the Theory of Technological Competency as Caring in Nursing: The Universal Technological Domain. International Journal for Human Caring, 19(2), 50-54.
Locsin, R.C. (2015). “Technological competency as caring in nursing: Knowing as process and technological knowing as practice.” In M. Smith & M. Parker (Eds.), Nursing Theories and Nursing Practice (4th ed., pp. 451-462). F.A. Davis
Application sources
About Rozzano Locsin
Dr. Rozzano Locsin has developed the theoretical framework “Technological Competency as Caring in Nursing”. His theoretical perspective emphasizes the wholeness of persons, particularly in technologically advanced healthcare environments. Dr. Locsin’s philosophy centers on viewing people as whole beings, especially important as healthcare becomes more dependent on technology. His theoretical work addresses critical questions: How can nurses provide caring relationships when patients rely on machines? What does it mean to be human in technology-filled healthcare settings? How should nursing adapt to future technological changes while keeping its caring nature? These questions reflect his concern about maintaining the human side of nursing as technology advances, suggesting that competency and caring must work together rather than compete.
His commitment to international service demonstrates how nursing theory and research can have worldwide impact. Dr. Locsin believes that our connected world requires us to appreciate cultural diversity to truly understand people as whole beings. He emphasizes building genuine relationships through direct contact—international exchanges, study abroad programs, and face-to-face encounters with people from different cultures. He argues that understanding how culture shapes human experiences is essential for knowing people completely, challenging limited views of nursing knowledge.
Dr. Locsin’s international contributions are well recognized. He received the Fulbright Scholar Award to Uganda in 2000, the Fulbright Alumni Initiative Award in 2004, and the Fulbright Senior Specialist Award in 2005. He has worked with the United Nations Development Program and numerous international projects, establishing himself as a true “global citizen.” His work includes publishing in international journals, organizing conferences, participating in worldwide networks, and collaborating on research across multiple countries.
Dr. Locin’s theoretical framework shows that nursing phenomena require varied research approaches that honor both the universal and culturally specific aspects of human experience. By combining scientific rigor with artistic expression Dr. Locsin demonstrates nursing scholarship that is both theoretically sound and humanistic.