Nursing theories are the building blocks of education and practice in daily patient health care. These are the basic concepts that explain why nurses act and provide explanations for their actions. Although many nursing theories say nothing while a nurse is working, they are essential when seeking to understand why a task is performed in a certain way. Nursing theories implemented today all have their roots in history. Nursing theories have emerged as an explanation, reasoning or through research and practice as a means of explaining and proposing health care procedures. The best way to look at nursing theories is as the fundamental block. Nursing theories are important in setting the tone for how a nurse will practice. A nurse will use intuition, practice, expertise, and past events, and combine the theories learned to work each day to provide the best patient care. it is all the more important to appreciate what has moved nursing beyond the mechanics of practice to become a knowledge-based force in health care: that force is nursing theory as well as theoretical thinking and research that generates theory. The complexity and depth of nursing is reflected in its knowledge structure, which includes discipline-specific elements such as philosophies, theories, and methodologies of research and practice” (Reed, 2006). Patient care is a broad topic, but the patient themselves plays a key role in a patient's care. An educated patient is essential to their well-being and a higher level of care. “Henderson had the pioneering vision that nursing is distinct from medicine and that nursing is not simply following doctors' orders” (Nicely and DeLario, 2011). Virginia Henderson's Nursing Theory...... middle of article...... in Transplantation, 21(1), 72-77. Wagner, D. and Bear, M. (2009). Patient satisfaction with nursing care: A concept analysis in a nursing setting. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65(3), 692-701.Reed PG, The power of guided-practice nursing theory. Nurs Sci Q. 2006 Jul;19(3):225 Works CitedHenderson, VA (1961). Basic principles of nursing. London: International Council of Nurses. Nicely, B. and DeLario, GT (2011). Virginia Henderson's principles and practice of nursing have been applied to organ donation after brain death. Progress in Transplantation, 21(1), 72-77. Wagner, D. and Bear, M. (2009). Patient satisfaction with nursing care: A concept analysis in a nursing setting. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65(3), 692-701.Reed PG, The power of guided-practice nursing theory. Nurses Sci Q. July 2006;19(3):225