What are the five steps of the nursing process in order?

• A. Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation
• B. Assessment, Planning, Diagnosis, Evaluation, Implementation
• C. Diagnosis, Assessment, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation
• D. Assessment, Evaluation, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation

Answer: (A)

The nursing process moves through a logical, patient-centered sequence: first you gather complete data about the patient, then you interpret that information to identify actual or potential health problems, next you set measurable goals and plan the care needed to address those problems, followed by carrying out the planned actions, and finally you evaluate the patient’s response and the effectiveness of the plan to decide if adjustments are needed. This order matters because you can’t plan or intervene meaningfully without understanding the patient, and you can’t know whether your interventions worked without evaluating the outcomes. That makes the sequence of Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation the correct one. Reordering steps—like diagnosing before assessing, or evaluating before implementing—disrupts the logical flow and prevents effective nursing care.