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Specialty: The pursuit, area of study, or skill to which someone has devoted much time and effort
and in which they are expert. Nursing specialization involves focusing on nursing practice in an
identified specific area within the discipline of professional nursing. A defined specialty scope of
practice statement and standards of professional practice, with accompanying competencies,
are unique to each nursing specialty. These documents help assure continued understanding and
recognition of nursing’s diverse professional contributions (Finnell, et al, 2015).
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Advanced nursing practice specialties: Currently, advanced nursing practice specialties
include informatics, administration/practice leadership, public health/population
health, and health policy. Specialties may evolve over time to address future
healthcare needs.

Spheres of Care: Encompass the healthcare needs of individuals, families, populations, and
the care/services required to address these needs and promote desired health outcomes. In
this document, four spheres of care are delineated 1) disease prevention/promotion of health
and well-being, which includes the promotion of physical and mental health in all patients as
well as management of minor acute and intermittent care needs of generally healthy patients;
2) chronic disease care, which includes management of chronic diseases and prevention of
negative sequelae; 3) regenerative or restorative care, which includes critical/trauma care,
complex acute care, acute exacerbations of chronic conditions, and treatment of physiologically
unstable patients that generally requires care in a mega-acute care institution; and, 4) hospice/
palliative/supportive care which includes end-of-life care as well as palliative and supportive
care for individuals requiring extended care or those with complex, chronic disease states or
those requiring rehabilitative care (Lipstein, et al, 2016; AACN, 2019).
Standardized data: The process of ensuring that one data set can be compared to
other data sets. In statistics, standardized data is the process of putting different variables on
the same scale. This process allows one to compare scores between different types of variables.
Stress management: A range of strategies to help one better deal with stress and difficulty
(adversity). Managing stress can help an individual lead a more balanced, healthier life.
Stress is an automatic physical, mental and emotional response to a challenging event. Stress
management approaches include learning skills such as problem-solving, prioritizing tasks, and
time management to enhance the ability to cope with adversity.
Structural racism: A complex system of conferring social benefits in some groups and imposing
burdens on others resulting in segregation, poverty, and denial of opportunity for people of
color. Structural racism comprises cultural beliefs, historical legacies, and institutions, policies
within and among public and private organizations that interweave to create drastic racial
disparities in life outcomes (Wiecek, 2011).
Support care: Treatment given to prevent, control, or relieve complications and side effects and
to improve the patient’s comfort and quality of life.
System decision: A computerized program used to support determinations, judgments, and
courses of action in an organization or a business. A system decision sifts through and analyzes
massive amounts of data, compiling comprehensive information that can be used to solve
problems and in decision-making.

THE ESSENTIALS: CORE COMPETENCIES FOR PROFESSIONAL NURSING EDUCATION 65