Nursing Care Plans: Free Examples for Nursing Students
Got a care plan due before clinicals? You’re in the right place. Below you’ll find free nursing care plan examples written the way instructors expect them, organized by medical condition and by nursing diagnosis.
Every care plan follows the same easy-to-study format: a realistic patient scenario, assessment data, a correctly written nursing diagnosis, SMART goals, interventions with rationales, and an evaluation. In other words, you can see exactly what a finished care plan looks like, then use it as a guide for your own patient.
Get the free care plan template
Download our printable nursing care plan template, including a blank version for clinicals and a completed example, so you never start from a blank page again.
What Is a Nursing Care Plan?
A nursing care plan is a written plan that identifies a patient’s health problems and lays out what the nurse will do about them. It turns your assessment into clear goals and specific actions, so every nurse caring for that patient works toward the same outcomes.
In nursing school, care plans also show your instructor how you think. As a result, they are one of the main ways your clinical judgment gets graded.
The 5 parts of a nursing care plan
Care plans follow the nursing process, often remembered as ADPIE:
- Assessment: Collect subjective data (what the patient says) and objective data (vitals, labs, exam findings).
- Diagnosis: Identify the patient’s problems using nursing diagnoses, not medical diagnoses.
- Planning: Write SMART goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
- Implementation: List the nursing interventions you will carry out, each with a rationale explaining why it works.
- Evaluation: Decide whether each goal was met, partially met, or not met, and revise the plan if needed.
Nursing Care Plans by Condition
Find a care plan for the patient you were assigned. Each one includes the nursing diagnoses that matter most for that condition.
| Body system | Care plans |
|---|---|
| Cardiac | Heart Failure · Myocardial Infarction (MI) · Hypertension |
| Respiratory | Pneumonia · COPD |
| Endocrine | Type 2 Diabetes |
| Neuro | Stroke (CVA) |
| Renal | Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) |
| Infection and critical care | Sepsis |
| Musculoskeletal | Hip Fracture / Hip Replacement |
| Skin | Pressure Injury |
| Surgical | Post-Operative Care |
| Maternity and newborn | Postpartum · Newborn |
| Mental health | Depression |
Nursing Care Plans by Nursing Diagnosis
Already know your nursing diagnosis? Start here instead. These are the diagnoses nursing students use most often.
- Risk for Infection
- Acute Pain
- Risk for Falls
- Impaired Gas Exchange
- Ineffective Airway Clearance
- Decreased Cardiac Output
- Excess Fluid Volume
- Deficient Fluid Volume
- Impaired Skin Integrity
- Anxiety
How to Write a Nursing Care Plan
Writing your first care plan can feel overwhelming. However, once you know the order, every care plan follows the same steps:
- Start with your assessment. Gather subjective and objective data first. Every diagnosis you write later should trace back to something you found here.
- Choose your nursing diagnoses. Pick 2–4 problems and put them in priority order, with airway, breathing, and circulation first.
- Write each diagnosis correctly. For an actual problem, use “related to” plus “as evidenced by.” For a risk problem, list only the risk factors, since nothing has happened yet.
- Set SMART goals. For example, “Patient will maintain SpO2 of 92% or higher on 2 L nasal cannula within 24 hours” is far stronger than “Patient will breathe better.”
- List interventions with rationales. Include what you will assess, what you will do, and what you will teach, and explain why each one works.
- Evaluate. Finally, state whether each goal was met and how you would revise the plan.
Need more help with step 3? Read our guide to writing a nursing diagnosis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a nursing diagnosis and a medical diagnosis? A medical diagnosis names the disease, such as pneumonia. In contrast, a nursing diagnosis names the patient’s response to it, such as impaired gas exchange, which nurses can act on independently.
How many nursing diagnoses should a care plan have? Most nursing school care plans include 2–4 diagnoses. However, your instructor may ask for a specific number, so always check your assignment guidelines first.
Can I copy these care plans for my assignment? Use them as examples, not as your submission. Your care plan should be based on your own patient’s assessment data, because that is what your instructor is grading.
What is a SMART goal in nursing? A SMART goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For instance, it states exactly what the patient will do and by when, so you can tell whether it was met.
Are these care plans free? Yes. Every care plan on this page is free to read, and the printable template is free when you join our email list.
Practice What You Learn
Care plans and NCLEX questions test the same clinical judgment skills. Next, try our free practice quizzes with rationales:
- Infection Prevention Practice Questions
- Renal Practice Questions
- GI Practice Questions
- All Free Nursing Practice Questions