Nursing Process
In this step, the nurse sorts through the collected data to identify patterns and determine the patient’s priority problems.
Diagnosis
A nurse refuses to give a patient their call light because they are “too needy.”
Negligence
A patient recovering from a stroke attends physical therapy to regain mobility and independence. This level focuses on returning to the highest possible function.
Restorative healthcare
I honor your voice, your choice, your say—
Even if you go a different way.
I don’t control, I don’t demand,
I simply offer a helping hand.
Autonomy
This is a federally funded health care plan that has payments based on Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs).
Medicare
During this step the patient informs the nurse that their pain level has decreased from a 7 out of 10 to a 3 out of 10.
Evaluation
"You will take this medication, or you won't get any lunch!"
Assault
This level of care is your first stop for health promotion — think flu shots, routine checkups, and counseling before problems start.
Primary healthcare
I keep my word, I don’t betray,
I stand beside you every day.
Through thick and thin, I’ll stay true—
My promises belong to you.
Fidelity
A nurse learns a patient has active tuberculosis. Even if the patient begs for privacy, the nurse must report it because it falls under this category.
Mandatory reportable diseases
This step is where the nurse gathers subjective and objective data, acting like a clinical detective collecting clues.
Assessment
A nurse tells a patient’s family member about a new diagnosis without the patient’s permission.
Confidentiality
A patient is referred to a cardiologist for further testing after an abnormal EKG. They’ve just entered this level of care.
Secondary healthcare
I speak the truth, I don’t disguise,
No sugarcoating, no white lies.
Even when the news is tough,
I know that honesty is enough.
Veracity
This protects the healthcare worker from liability at an emergency scene.
Good Samaritan Law
During this step the nurse gave the patient medication for pain.
Implementation
A nurse restrains a confused patient without an order “just for a few minutes.”
False Imprisonment
A resident in a long‑term care facility receives help with daily activities, medication management, and ongoing supervision. This level of care supports people over extended periods.
Continuing
I’m the silent vow you may not see,
To shield you from harm, quietly.
No reckless moves, no careless touch—
I guard your safety very much.
Nonmaleficence
A nurse delegates vital signs on a stable post‑op patient to a UAP. This “right” ensures the task is appropriate for the person’s training.
Right person
During this step the nurse prioritizes to give the patient pain medication rather than ambulating them at this time.
Planning
A nurse documents that a patient “smells like alcohol and is probably drunk,” even though there is no evidence.
Libel
A patient undergoes open‑heart surgery at a specialized medical center with advanced technology and expert teams. This level of care is in action.
Tertiary healthcare
I weigh the scales, I count the cost,
No one ignored, no one lost.
Fair and square, I make things right—
No favoritism in my sight.
Justice
A nurse who “just knows something is wrong” without needing all the data is operating at this Benner level — the nursing equivalent of Jedi intuition.
Expert, Benner's Theory