Select one nursing model or theory as a guide for professional practice. Complete the following six steps to help you select an appropriate conceptual model of nursing or nursing theory.

1. Identify your own beliefs and values related to the phenomena of interest to all nurses. State your beliefs about the participants in nursing, the relevant environment, health, and the goals of professional nursing practice. Answer the following questions to help you identify your particular beliefs and values.

Are all people, regardless of health condition or medical diagnosis, potential participants in professional nursing?

Or are people with documented illness the only legitimate participants in professional nursing?

Who are the significant people in the nursing participant's environment?

What are the significant objects in the nursing participant's environment?

In what settings should professional nursing practice take place?

What is health? What is wellness? What is illness?

What are the appropriate goals of professional nursing practice?

What part do participants in professional nursing play in the determination of nursing goals and the identification of interventions used to attain those goals?

2. Identify the patient population with which you would like to work the population may be based on a specific medical diagnosis, such as cancer or renal failure; an age group, such as children and adolescents or the elderly; a type of illness, such as an acute crisis or chronic illness; or a particular symptom, such as chest pain or an elevated temperature.

Your population:

3. Systematically analyze and evaluate the content of several conceptual models of nursing and nursing theories. Review the summaries of the conceptual models and theories presented in the chapter as well as the primary source material for each conceptual model and theory. This will provide a firm foundation for the selection of the conceptual model or theory.

4. Compare your own beliefs and values with the philosophical claims undergirding the selected conceptual models in the format below.

Model #1

Your Beliefs and Values

Key Similarities

Key Differences

Model #2

Your Beliefs and Values

Key Similarities

Key Differences

5. Identify the conceptual models and nursing theories that are appropriate guides for nursing with the patient population of interest below.

Model #1

Model/Population

Explain Applicability To Your Population

Model #2

Model/Population

Explain Applicability To Your Population

6. Choose the conceptual model or theory that most closely matches your beliefs and values and the patient population with which you want to work. Then use the model or theory to guide your practice with several nursing participants so that you can determine its utility. If you find that the conceptual model or theory you have chosen is not useful, select another model or theory and test its utility.