Can the light of “Presence in Caring’ still shine in the health profession through wise and guiding health care providers? Absolutely!

Inaugural address 8 August 2025: Prof Tinda Rabie

Professor Tinda Rabie delivered her inaugural address on August 8, 2025, exemplifying confidence and scholarly excellence as she steps into her role as a full professor.

Imagine receiving a gift that isn’t wrapped in paper or tied with a ribbon, but one that touches your heart and mind. That’s the gift I want to share with you today: the gift of Presence in Caring.

What does it truly mean to be present in healthcare? It’s more than empathy or emotional support—it’s about being fully with another person, offering your whole self in moments that matter. Scholars describe it as:

“Being with the other with your whole self.” - Valliot, in Du Plessis, 2021

“Being there with and for the other is essential to restoring dignity and wholeness.” - Baart, 2024

“Presence can restore wholeness after an injury to personhood.” - Stanley, 2002

From my personal perspective, presence cannot be separated from the wisdom and intentionality of healthcare providers. To understand how presence truly unfolds in practice, it is helpful to explore it through four interconnected perspectives: Wisdom of Wise Persons, Light, Guide/Carer, and the Carescape.

Wisdom of Wise Persons (Wise servant leader healthcare providers)

Every healthcare provider has the potential to embody wisdom—practical, ethical, and compassionate. A wise person is inherently a servant leader: they lead not by authority alone, but by serving others - patients, colleagues, and communities - through humility, empathy, and moral courage. Their wisdom

shapes not only the care they provide but also the example they set for the broader health ecosystem.

Light (Wise healthcare providers following the light & being pioneers)

Wise healthcare providers are guided by the light of knowledge, ethics, and vision. They are pioneers, constantly seeking insight and clarity. In doing so, they illuminate the path forward, even in complex and challenging care situations, showing others how to navigate with wisdom and care.

Guide/Carer (Wise caring healthcare providers)

Wise HCPs actively guide and care for others, using all their senses—listening, observing, sensing, and responding. Presence transforms ordinary encounters into meaningful moments of support, reassurance, and human connection. By acting as servant leaders, they place the well-being of others at the center of their practice.

Carescape (Patients, community, healthcare professionals, academics and the practice environment)

The impact of presence extends into the carescape—the interconnected environment of patients, communities, healthcare providers, academics, and the broader practice environment. By practicing wisdom, following the light, and guiding care intentionally, HCPs foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and shared humanity across the health ecosystem.

Inspired by Florence Nightingale, the original “light carrier,” modern healthcare providers are stewards of care - blending clinical expertise with attentiveness, ethical sensitivity, and a deep commitment to serve. Their light shines not only in what they do but in how they show up fully, mindfully, and humanely for those entrusted to their care which includes the practice environment and academia.

Cultivating Presence

Cultivating presence is both a personal and professional commitment. It invites reflection, intentionality, and wholehearted engagement in moments that matter. When practiced consistently, healthcare spaces become environments of trust, compassion, and shared humanity, illuminated by the quiet, steady light of wisdom and care.

Guiding Thought

“All healthcare providers carry the power to be wise persons and servant leaders in the practice environment—those who constantly seek the light, apply practical wisdom, and become pioneers who guide their carescape through ethical, compassionate, and reflective care. When practiced consistently, it carries transformative potential and offers a beacon of hope for the carescape in South Africa and the world.” - Prof. Tinda Rabie

A Closing Gift

And so, I leave you with this truth, one that I hold dear:

“Kindness is free, peace is powerful - together, they can unite the world.” - Prof. Tinda Rabie

Reflection

Take a moment today to ask yourself:

Where can I bring presence, wisdom, and light in my own professional and personal life? How might small acts of kindness ripple through my carescape?

References

· Valliot, in Du Plessis, 2021

· Baart, 2024

· Stanley, 2002