Abstract
Consumers of health care expect caring behaviors and become satisfied and loyal customers when their health experience included caring. In today's health care environment, however, caring often takes a back seat to task completion and capital expenditures. Caregivers may feel caring, but they often provide care without regard for how patients prefer to experience caring. Caring theorists provide a framework of patient centered caring to guide professional practice. Stories of caring that occur in spite of diminished resources are inspirational and illustrate these theories. Chief nursing officers share a unique opportunity and imperative to assure that caring stories, the essence of our work, routinely inform decisions made in the executive suite and boardroom.