The organizing framework selected is the person-centered model, which is based on the synergy model and which also includes the concepts of health, environment, and nursing. McCormack and McVance (2006, p. 472) describe the model as having four constructs-prerequisites, or nurse attributes necessary to provide person-centered care; the care environment, an environment that provides the context for care; person-centered processes in which care is delivered through a variety of activities; and the outcomes that are to be expected from delivering person-centered care. All of these relate to the patient's health and wellbeing. The mission statement is to teach students the theory and practice of nursing from a holistic, reflective perspective that incorporates teaching, service, scholastic research, and holistic ethics enabling them to perceive and treat their patients as whole persons, and this fits well with the person-centered model as an organizing framework (Dossey, 1997, p. 60).
The person-centered model as an organizing framework shows
sequencing and prioritizing of knowledge. It places the prerequisites of the nurse in first priority, and these reinforce the nurse's professional competence, interpersonal skills, commitment to the job, ability to express her beliefs and values clearly, and having self-knowledge (McCormack & McVance, 2006, p. 475). The nurse having these attributes can effectively communicate with patients using a person-centered approach, but the remaining components of the model also need to be in place, as these influence the nurse's ability to provide patient-centered nursing (McCormack & McVance, 2006, p. 475). The care environment is the context in which the patient's care is delivered, and it includes effective relationships with staff, organizational systems that support the patient's care, shared power, and the freedom to innovate and take risks (McCormack & McVance, 2006, p. 475). Per...