Acting from the virtue of caring in nursing

The author challenges the recently argued position of Helga Kuhse that cari ng is merely a preparatory stage to moral action and that impartial, princi pled thinking is required to make action moral, by suggesting a notion of c aring as virtue. If caring is a virtue then acting from that virtue will be acting well. Acting from the virtue of caring involves eight features, whi ch include not only that of being sensitive to, and concerned about, the pa tient, but also that of being aware of, and sensitive to, the relevant ethi cal principles. In this way, caring is seen as an overarching quality that gives action its moral character. The moral character of an action does not derive only from its having been performed in the light of principles.