title: Full nursing potential: a concept clarification.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Report a clarification of the concept of full nursing potential.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The Institute of Medicine and World Health Organization have called for the removal of barriers to allow nurses to practice to the fullest extent of their education and experience. Terms analogous to full nursing potential are prominent in the nursing literature. However, to date, there has been no clear definition of full nursing potential.
  
  
  METHODS
  Concept clarification.
  
  
  METHODS
  PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Google Scholar, and Ovid were searched for terms analogous to full nursing potential (nursing utilization, scope of practice, roles, and actualization).
  
  
  METHODS
  Norris' concept clarification method was used to clarify the concept of full nursing potential. Following repeated observation and description, the concept was systematized, and a model and an operational definition were developed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Systemization of the concept led to the proposal of the following definition: Full nursing potential is a dynamic state in which government regulations, institutional policies, adequate education, personal experience, environmental factors, and personal traits culminate to foster the essence of nursing, enabling nurses to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care and promote equitable social systems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Realization of full nursing potential can help foster patient-centered care while combating social injustice.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Nursing, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA.
authors.forename: Edwin Ngomueh
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Aroke
mesh_terms: D003210:Concept Formation; D006801:Humans; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009729:Nursing / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States
keywords: Concept clarification; full nursing potential; nursing regulation; nursing role; nursing scope of practice