A nurse is working with a postoperative client to develop mobility goals. Which of the following steps of the nursing process is the nurse completing?

This scenario evaluates the nurse's ability to distinguish between the various stages of the nursing process. Knowledge of the specific actions involved in goal setting and outcome identification is required to correctly classify the nurse's collaborative activity with the client. Choice A rationale Diagnosis involves the clinical judgment about individual, family, or community responses to actual or potential health problems. It is the process of identifying specific health issues based on data collected rather than establishing future mobility goals. Choice B rationale Assessment is the systematic collection and verification of data regarding the client's health status. It involves gathering subjective and objective information through physical examination and interviewing but does not include the collaborative development of specific future goals. Choice C rationale Implementation occurs when the nurse carries out the specific nursing interventions outlined in the care plan. This stage involves the actual performance of tasks designed to help the client achieve the established goals rather than the goal-setting process. Choice D rationale Planning involves prioritizing nursing diagnoses, setting client-centered goals, and identifying nursing interventions. Creating mobility goals with a client is a definitive part of the planning phase to ensure measurable outcomes are established for the recovery process.