A nursing care plan is a part of the nursing process which outlines the plan of action that will be implemented during a patients’ medical care. LPNs (Licensed Practical Nurses) and Registered Nurses (RNs) often complete a care plan after a detailed assessment has been performed on the patients’ current medical condition and prior medical history. The nurse can then take action with the patient by fulfilling the care plan’s goals and objectives.
On this page, you will get some free sample care plans that you can use as examples to understand more about how they help nurses treat people. If you want to view our care plan database, make sure to visit our free care plans section.
When I was in nursing school I bought some books to help me with nursing care plans. Care plans take practice but once you catch on they are a piece of cake. Here are the books I recommend on using to help you with your nursing care plans. I believe they are the best books for nursing care plans. The first one is called “Nursing Care Planning Made Incredibly Easy!” It is like one of those “made for dummies” books. Here is a picture of it and you can find it on Amazon.com for less than $25.
Another great book is called “Nursing Care Plans: Guidelines for Individualizing Client Care Across the Life Span“. This book is excellent because it is universal for all areas in nursing for developing your care plans. This book is awesome for developing your care plans and is used by many nursing students.
*See disclosure at the end of this article.
Care plans are occasionally used by other medical staff, such as doctors, Respiratory therapists, physical therapists, and more. However, they are most often used and associated with the field of nursing.
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Care plans play a very important part in the treatment of a patient, and can actually save time. By taking the initial time to complete a detailed care plan, the nurse will be able to create a specific line of treatment for the patient. This enables the nurse to provide focused care, without overlooking important steps. A strategic plan is always important when it comes to medical care, and care plans help nurses achieve a solid plan of action.
In addition, care plans can be easily revised to provide new outcomes or treatment plans if a patient’s condition changes. This flexibility helps the nurse maintain focus during potentially stressful situations. Since the patient’s information will be conveniently located within the care plan, this will save time and reduce the risk of misinformation or mistakes.
Care plans are also helpful during a patient’s discharge process. Nurses can review the care plan to see if the patient met the nursing outcome during their treatment, and can base the patient’s later discharge care based on those outcomes.
Nursing school professors often require nursing students to complete many care plans throughout their college career. The reason is simple: Care plans are important. Nursing students should thoroughly learn about care plans for the following reasons:
There are small differences between the care plans a nursing student may complete in college, and the care plans a nurse may complete in a nursing job setting. Some of these small differences may include the following:
If you want to view a video tutorial on how to construct a care plan in nursing school, please view the video below. Otherwise, keep reading to learn the basics of how to complete a care plan in nursing school.
When creating a care plan, nursing students often need to refer to a textbook on “Nursing Diagnosis” by NANDA. This text provides information on creating the nursing diagnosis for care plans. Once nurses become familiar with the book, they do not have to refer to it as often when creating care plans.
The care plans given in nursing school are often on a blank sheet of paper with grid-lines for each focus, treatment, and outcome. Nursing students must then manually complete each field using a very comprehensive set of terms and goals. Sometimes, nursing students are intimidated by the care plan process, and often feel overwhelmed when faced with their first care plan. However, they should keep in mind that many nursing students feel this way, and they will become much easier to complete over time.
It is important to note that often times, nursing care plans can have a slightly different appearance. The exact design or appearance of the care plan can vary from school to school. In addition, many hospitals or medical centers adopt their own unique care plan versions. So each basic care plan design can be totally different from another.
An example picture of a basic blank care plan can be found below:
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*Disclosure: The items recommended in this article are recommendations based on our own honest personal opinion and experience. We are an affiliate with Amazon.com, and when you buy the products recommended by us, you help support this site.
