Description/Overview: This symposium will showcase the recently published refinements of the Artinian Intersystem Model (AIM)¹ as based on actual use of the model in different levels of nursing educational settings worldwide and illustrate how nurse educators are teaching nursing students to apply theory to professional nursing practice. In essence, the AIM is a model of the nursing process that guides the nurse or provider to incorporate patient/client values into the mutual plan of care. This patient-centered model assesses the patient’s own knowledge, values, and behaviors about the main concern before engaging in interaction to resolve the concern. The AIM is also based on the concept that each person or client is an intrasystem in his or her own right, made up of a biological self, a psychosocial self, and a spiritual self. Foundational to the model is the mutuality of the interaction between the patient/client and nurse/provider intrasystems that fosters mutual problem solving. The model can be applied to individual clients, aggregate populations and communities as clients, or institutions as clients. The AIM fits well with today’s healthcare paradigm where patient/clients desire a central role in shared decision making and in all aspects of their care. This symposium will emphasize the use of the model in educational settings in Africa, Norway, and the USA, from basic levels of nursing instruction at the technical level through graduate nursing programs. The symposium will further show the relationship between theory and practice as illustrated using selected care plans based on the AIM and informed by qualitative research in nursing education to support professional nursing practice. ¹ Artinian, B.M., West, K.S., & Conger, M.M. (2011). The Artinian Intersystem Model: Integrating theory and practice for the professional nurse (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing.

Learner Objective #1: Describe the application of the Artinian Intersystem Model to teaching patient care, using one of four care plan templates appropriate to a specific educational level.

Learner Objective #2: Outline one approach to effectively use the Artinian Intersystem Model as the knowledge base to develop a course syllabus in a nursing educational program.