Galen College of Nursing Practice Exam

The nursing process uses a systematic order to ensure patient care is organized and effective: Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation. First, you gather and analyze data about the patient to understand their current health status. This information drives the identification of actual or potential problems in the Diagnosis step. With problems identified, you set goals and outline specific actions in Planning. Then you carry out those actions in Implementation. Finally, you review outcomes in Evaluation to determine if goals were met and to decide whether to modify the plan or start the cycle again. If you were to switch steps—like diagnosing before assessing, planning before diagnosing, implementing before planning, or evaluating before acting—you’d base care on incomplete information, lack a clear plan, or fail to measure effectiveness. The only sequence that maintains logical, data-driven progression is Assessment → Diagnosis → Planning → Implementation → Evaluation.