NU 518 Exam 1 Study Guide: Nursing Theory 2026/2027 USA
1. Which component of the nursing metaparadigm refers to the internal and
external surroundings that affect the client?
A. Person
B. Health
C. Nursing
D. Environment
Answer: D
Rationale: The Environment includes internal and external conditions that influence the
person, as defined in the nursing metaparadigm.
2. Which nursing theorist is credited with establishing nursing as a distinct
profession and focusing on the environmental impact on health?
A. Jean Watson
B. Florence Nightingale
C. Dorothea Orem
D. Martha Rogers
Answer: B
Rationale: Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Theory emphasized that the nurse’s role
is to manipulate the environment to facilitate the patient’s natural healing process.
,3. A theory that is broad in scope and provides a global view of nursing practice
is known as a:
A. Grand theory
B. Practice theory
C. Middle-range theory
D. Empirical theory
Answer: A
Rationale: Grand theories are the most complex and widest in scope, providing a general
framework for nursing ideas and concepts.
4. In Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory, what is the primary goal of nursing?
A. To provide care for the patient until they recover.
B. To maintain the patient’s energy fields.
C. To adapt the patient to their environment.
D. To identify self-care requisites and help the patient meet them.
Answer: D
Rationale: Orem’s theory focuses on the patient’s ability to perform self-care; nursing is
required when the patient cannot meet their own self-care demands.
5. Which of the following describes the ‘Person’ in the nursing metaparadigm?
A. The degree of wellness or well-being that the client experiences.
B. The recipient of nursing care, including individuals, families, and communities.
C. The actions and attributes of the nurse.
D. The physical surroundings of the hospital.
Answer: B
Rationale: The ‘Person’ represents the individual, family, group, or community that is the
target of nursing care.
, 6. Which theorist developed the ‘Science of Unitary Human Beings’?
A. Callista Roy
B. Imogene King
C. Hildegard Peplau
D. Martha Rogers
Answer: D
Rationale: Martha Rogers viewed humans as irreducible energy fields integral with the
universe’s energy field.
7. The ‘Novice to Expert’ model, which describes the stages of clinical
competence, was developed by:
A. Madeleine Leininger
B. Nola Pender
C. Patricia Benner
D. Ida Jean Orlando
Answer: C
Rationale: Patricia Benner applied the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition to nursing,
identifying five levels of proficiency: novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and
expert.
8. Which nursing model focuses on the person as an adaptive system
responding to environmental stimuli?
A. Roy Adaptation Model
B. Neuman Systems Model
C. King’s Theory of Goal Attainment
D. Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations
Answer: A
Rationale: Callista Roy’s model views the person as an adaptive system that uses coping
mechanisms to adapt to stimuli.
1. Which component of the nursing metaparadigm refers to the internal and
external surroundings that affect the client?
A. Person
B. Health
C. Nursing
D. Environment
Answer: D
Rationale: The Environment includes internal and external conditions that influence the
person, as defined in the nursing metaparadigm.
2. Which nursing theorist is credited with establishing nursing as a distinct
profession and focusing on the environmental impact on health?
A. Jean Watson
B. Florence Nightingale
C. Dorothea Orem
D. Martha Rogers
Answer: B
Rationale: Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Theory emphasized that the nurse’s role
is to manipulate the environment to facilitate the patient’s natural healing process.
,3. A theory that is broad in scope and provides a global view of nursing practice
is known as a:
A. Grand theory
B. Practice theory
C. Middle-range theory
D. Empirical theory
Answer: A
Rationale: Grand theories are the most complex and widest in scope, providing a general
framework for nursing ideas and concepts.
4. In Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory, what is the primary goal of nursing?
A. To provide care for the patient until they recover.
B. To maintain the patient’s energy fields.
C. To adapt the patient to their environment.
D. To identify self-care requisites and help the patient meet them.
Answer: D
Rationale: Orem’s theory focuses on the patient’s ability to perform self-care; nursing is
required when the patient cannot meet their own self-care demands.
5. Which of the following describes the ‘Person’ in the nursing metaparadigm?
A. The degree of wellness or well-being that the client experiences.
B. The recipient of nursing care, including individuals, families, and communities.
C. The actions and attributes of the nurse.
D. The physical surroundings of the hospital.
Answer: B
Rationale: The ‘Person’ represents the individual, family, group, or community that is the
target of nursing care.
, 6. Which theorist developed the ‘Science of Unitary Human Beings’?
A. Callista Roy
B. Imogene King
C. Hildegard Peplau
D. Martha Rogers
Answer: D
Rationale: Martha Rogers viewed humans as irreducible energy fields integral with the
universe’s energy field.
7. The ‘Novice to Expert’ model, which describes the stages of clinical
competence, was developed by:
A. Madeleine Leininger
B. Nola Pender
C. Patricia Benner
D. Ida Jean Orlando
Answer: C
Rationale: Patricia Benner applied the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition to nursing,
identifying five levels of proficiency: novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and
expert.
8. Which nursing model focuses on the person as an adaptive system
responding to environmental stimuli?
A. Roy Adaptation Model
B. Neuman Systems Model
C. King’s Theory of Goal Attainment
D. Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations
Answer: A
Rationale: Callista Roy’s model views the person as an adaptive system that uses coping
mechanisms to adapt to stimuli.
