Why does the NGN exam prioritize the nursing process?

The emphasis on the nursing process in the NGN exam underscores the importance of a systematic approach that nurses employ in their practice. This approach involves a series of clearly defined steps: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. By prioritizing the nursing process, the NGN exam highlights the critical role that structured methodologies play in ensuring comprehensive patient care and effective clinical decision-making.

In particular, the nursing process allows for organized and consistent care delivery, ensuring that nurses can ultimately assess a patient’s needs accurately, develop precise care plans, execute those plans efficiently, and evaluate their effectiveness. This structured framework is essential not just for improving patient outcomes but also for maintaining high standards of practice within the nursing profession.

Understanding and applying the nursing process is deemed fundamental to nursing education and practice, making it a core component of the assessment in the NGN exam. It is relevant to all nursing specialties and is not merely dependent on personal opinions or theoretical perspectives. Instead, it is a universally accepted standard that supports the holistic care model that modern nursing promotes.