There are a variety of definitions of nursing practice. In
many state nurse practice acts, the practice of professional
nursing is defined as the diagnosis and treatment of human
responses to actual or potential health problems. The American
Nurses Association (ANA) proposes that there are four essential
features inherent in any definition of contemporary nursing
practice:
1. Attention to the full range of human experiences and
responses to health and illness without restriction to a
problem-focused orientation.
2. Integration of objective data with knowledge gained from an
understanding of the individual, family, community, or
population�s subjective experience.
3. Application of scientific knowledge to the processes of
diagnosis and treatment.
4. Provision of a caring relationship that facilitates health
and healing.
Apart from those general criteria, nurses specialize in a huge
variety of roles. For example, just a few of the scores of duties
for a medical-surgical nurse include administering and
documenting medicine dosages, supervising unlicensed assistants,
giving forensic advice and answering questions for patients�
families. Other nurses cover every medical, psychosocial, and
personal need for patients with chronic or terminal
illnesses.