Medical Model vs. Nursing Model...Huh?

When reading about the differences between nurses and doctors/physician assistants, I always hear the claim made that nurses operate via a nursing model and make nursing diagnoses, whereas doctors and physician assitants operate via a medical model.

What does this mean?? What are the differences between a nursing model and a medical model??

Thanks so much!
nursing model and diagnosis only refers to diagnoses/actions that a nurse can do. Ex. Alteration in nutrition R/T feeding intolerance.Actions: HOB at 30', check annd report residuals greater than --, monitor for emesis, administer reglan/zantac as ordered, administer feddings at ordered rate, monitor for dehydration, obtain labs as ordered and report critical values. etcThese are things that a nurse does. Also, a nursing diagnosis cannot use a medical diagnosis because we cannot make medicla diagnoses. I am sure someone else can prob explain it better, but I gave it a shot!

Nurses deal more with the person's response to a disease and doctors deal with the physical disease itself...or something like that.

Physicians are licensed to make medical diagnoses. A medical diagnosis is specific and related to a pathological disease process. Medical diagnoses are relatively uniform and are treated the same from individual to individual.Registered nurses are licensed to make nursing diagnoses. A nursing diagnosis is based on the client's physical, sociocultural, psychological, and spiritual response to an illness or health problem. Nursing diagnoses will vary according to the client's state of being. Nursing diagnoses may be actual or potential problems that a client may experience.For example:Medical diagnosis: Crohn's DiseasePossible Nursing Diagnoses:Anxiety Deficient Fluid Volume Deficient Knowledge Diarrhea Imbalanced Nutrition: less than body requirements Ineffective Coping Ineffective Health Maintenance

Quote from Blessed2BeMommyPhysicians are licensed to make medical diagnoses. A medical diagnosis is specific and related to a pathological disease process. Medical diagnoses are relatively uniform and are treated the same from individual to individual.Registered nurses are licensed to make nursing diagnoses. A nursing diagnosis is based on the client's physical, sociocultural, psychological, and spiritual response to an illness or health problem. Nursing diagnoses will vary according to the client's state of being. Nursing diagnoses may be actual or potential problems that a client may experience.For example:Medical diagnosis: Crohn's DiseasePossible Nursing Diagnoses:Anxiety Deficient Fluid Volume Deficient Knowledge Diarrhea Imbalanced Nutrition: less than body requirements Ineffective Coping Ineffective Health Maintenance

Some of that goes out the window though when NPs get involved, since NPs can dx disease as wellThe medical model is very illness and disease related. It's all about the parts of the body that are going wrong.The nursing model is much more holistic. It's not only the disease/process, but how the person responds to the disease/process. That is why I prefer the nursing model. There's much more emphasis on treating the patient, not just the disease.

On a very basic level: Physicians treat diseases, nurses treat a persons response to diseases.

Ah, I see. Thank you!

Quote from Blessed2BeMommyPhysicians are licensed to make medical diagnoses. A medical diagnosis is specific and related to a pathological disease process. Medical diagnoses are relatively uniform and are treated the same from individual to individual.Registered nurses are licensed to make nursing diagnoses. A nursing diagnosis is based on the client's physical, sociocultural, psychological, and spiritual response to an illness or health problem. Nursing diagnoses will vary according to the client's state of being. Nursing diagnoses may be actual or potential problems that a client may experience.For example:Medical diagnosis: Crohn's DiseasePossible Nursing Diagnoses:Anxiety Deficient Fluid Volume Deficient Knowledge Diarrhea Imbalanced Nutrition: less than body requirements Ineffective Coping Ineffective Health Maintenance

I think there is more to this than already discussed. One of the major differences between the medical model and the 'social' model of nursing is that the medical model focuses on the same factors for each patient; these being presenting complaint, history, examination, differential diagnoisis, tests and exams to confirm/rule out suspected diagnosis and treatment whereas the nursing model (as previosly noted by Blessed2bemommy) are more individualistic and focus on how the patients disability or illness (as well as treatments) may affect their physical, social and emotinal wellbeing. Nurses,using the nursing model, do not tend to think in terms of differential diagnosis and it is this which truly seperates the 2 models in my opinion. During assessment and examination using the medical model, the examiner must think of the most likely cause of the patients problems but must consider many different options and the aim is to find the causative agent so that a treatment can be started(hopeully!). Whereas in nursing, in most cases, by the time we meet the patient, a medical diagnoisis has already been made or there are at least suspisions as to the cause of the problem, and our ultimate goal, whatever, the diagnosis is to holistically care for that individual. I don't think Np's confuse the issue as during the NP's education the focus and their priorty is on the factors already mentioned re: the medical model and the nursing model seems to follow....I think santhony44 puts it better!I have rambled...sorry but I hope this makes sense!

I can sort of see what people are trying to say in differentiating nursing practice from medical practice. I agree with the model that nurses help people maintain the highest level of health and well-being. In a hospital, that usually means carrying out doctor's orders and assisting with comfort and hygiene. I don't see the use of nursing diagnoses in most cases, however. I can see the idea behind their development but they just aren't useful in most settings. We can learn how and when to apply various nursing measures without having to apply a specific nursing diagnosis to do so, and without diagnosing (and practicing medicine) either. If a diagnosis has already been made, then the nursing interventions are based around the appropriate supportive care. If a diagnosis hasn't been made, then the nursing interventions relate to the presenting symptoms.

Quote from amanda sueWhen reading about the differences between nurses and doctors/physician assistants, I always hear the claim made that nurses operate via a nursing model and make nursing diagnoses, whereas doctors and physician assitants operate via a medical model.What does this mean?? What are the differences between a nursing model and a medical model??Thanks so much!

This was a great answer- I am studying for my first exam and needed to define the difference of medical v. nursing.... Thank you