Nursing
Nursing is a discipline concerned with how patients and families are cared for to restore them to optimal health and functioning. Some nursing models of practice involve a four step process of Assessment, Planning,Implementation, and Evaluation. This “Plan of Care” is created and carried out in collaboration with the whole health care team.
A nurse practices nursing as an occupation.
Nurses acknowledge that the nursing profession is an essential part of the society from which it has grown. The authority for the practice of nursing is based upon a social contract that delineates professional rights and responsibilities as well as mechanisms for public accountability. The American Nurses’ Association (1980) has defined nursing as “the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual or potential health problems.
“However, this definition has been disputed by physicians who dislike nurses’ use of the term “diagnosis”. Others claim that nursing diagnoses are unique, bearing little resemblance to medical diagnoses.