Model of Care

The Roger Williams Medical Center Model of Nursing Care is a compilation of collective experiences and collaborative hospital-wide discussions of RWMC nurses, other disciplines, and the patients and families for whom they have cared. As a result of this effort, five themes emerged; comfort, competence, compassionate approach, information regarding the plan of care, and respect. These themes are integrated with the following definition of nursing to describe the work of the nurse:

"...to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to a peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible."

Virginia Henderson, RN
The Nature of Nursing, 1966

In the best interest of their patients/families, RWMC nurses create the environment for care where health, recovery or peaceful death occurs. As nurses, they know nursing care depends on the quality of the nurse. They assume accountability for the patient/family and are responsible for the appropriate completion, or delegation, of all nursing care provided. In assuming this accountability, they have the authority to act on behalf of the patient/family to ensure continuity of care from admission to discharge.