Professional Practice Model

At the heart of the Kaiser Permanente Nursing Professional Practice Model is the patient and family. The nurse-patient/family relationship is the cornerstone of nursing practice and leverages the powerful role human relationships play in creating caring and healing environments. It honors the unity of the whole human being – mind, body, spirit – and is the lens through which Kaiser Permanente nurses look to ensure that they meet the needs of the patient and families.

Six nursing values are embedded in our discipline/practice and help to demonstrate what it means to be a Kaiser Permanente nurse. The values that underpin our work are: Professionalism, Patient and Family Centric, Compassion, Teamwork, Excellence, and Integrity. Our practice and the work of nursing are organized by four key pillars:  Quality and Safety, Leadership, Professional Development, and Research/Evidence-Based Practice.

This infrastructure establishes practices, processes, and systems through which our vision is achieved. It lays the foundation that makes transformational practice possible and aligns nursing with Kaiser Permanente’s mission.

The model is designed to standardize and move nursing practice forward, and is the framework within which a nursing theory, such as Caring Sciences, can be practiced. It describes how nurses practice, collaborate, communicate, and develop professionally. It is important that each nursing group identify how this model can support their professional practice.  

The model’s schematic design demonstrates how each component is aligned and integrated to support nursing practice across the continuum and to meet the needs of our patients and their families. It also demonstrates the contribution nursing makes in fulfilling Kaiser Permanente’s mission and vision.

As you begin your inquiry into the model’s various components, you will find that they have many common touch points. The six nursing values call out those touch points. Each value is further described by principles (essential qualities or elements) and example behaviors (the manner in which we function or perform) in order to further clarify those values that best exemplify Kaiser Permanente nursing.

The purpose of this white paper is to inform all stakeholders and other interested parties of this effort, to invite further inquiry, and to generate a common understanding of the various elements that comprise the Kaiser Permanente Nursing Professional Practice Model.

Every component of the Kaiser Permanente Nursing Professional Practice Model is described in greater detail in the sections below. Nurses are invited to conduct additional research and learn more about the various elements if they wish.