Conceptual Framework
Six concepts are integrated into nursing curriculum. These concepts are essential to the art and science of nursing to guide practice through the perspectives of self, healthcare consumer, and profession.
A "Healthcare Consumer" is defined as a patient, client, or population.
Caring
- Self: Nurses promote personal health and wellness
- Healthcare Consumer: Nurses emphasize the interpersonal helping relationship while practicing holistic, culturally congruent care
- Profession: Nurses invest and commit to the advancement of professional nursing
Critical thinking
- Self: Nurses utilize logical, analytical, intuitive, and creative thinking
- Healthcare Consumer: Nurses utilize critical thinking to make sound clinical decisions
- Profession: Nurses act as advocates and change agents
Knowledge
- Self: Nurses understand their own personal attributes, values, and beliefs
- Healthcare Consumer: Nurses recognize human experiences, needs and responses in varying states of health
- Profession: Nurses understand the theories, research, issues, trends, and forces that shape the practice of nursing.
Competence
- Self: Nurses develop and maintain the cognitive, interpersonal, and psychomotor skills for safe, effective nursing care
- Healthcare Consumer: Nurses demonstrate professional standards of practice using evidence-based practice to deliver safe, effective nursing care
- Profession: Nurses understand and abide by the legal and ethical aspects of practice set forth by professional standards and policy.
Communication
- Self: Nurses promote self-awareness to enhance interactions
- Healthcare Consumer: Nurses share and exchange information in collaboration with the healthcare consumer
- Profession: Nurses communicate appropriately with colleagues and stakeholders
Professionalism
- Self: Nurses develop professional attributes and values through ongoing self-assessment, self-determination, and life-long learning
- Healthcare Consumer: Nurses advocate for healthcare consumers
- Profession: Nurses shape and influence the profession and global health through active involvement in health care policy