1. Faye Glenn Abdellah Two-Star Rear Admiral, Ret
Faye Glenn Abdellah Two-Star Rear Admiral, Ret. USPHS, EdD, ScD, RN, FAAN
Presentation Created By:
Jyl Carter, Emily Gray, Megan Goffaux, & Maria Snyder

2. Faye Glenn Abdellah
Faye Abdellah [Digital image]. (2014, September 29). Retrieved October 13, 2016, from

3. Background
Faye Glenn Abdellah was born on March 13, 1919 in New York City, NY. Soon after being born, her family moved to New Jersey where they resided together for many years. Her father was of Algerian decent and her mother was Scottish. She had one older brother (Lessing, 2004). After attending high school in New Jersey, she was accepted into the Fitkin Memorial Hospital School of Nursing where she earned her nursing diploma in 1942 (Lessing, 2004).

4. When Did Abdellah Know She Wanted to Become a Nurse? May 6, 1937
Klein, C. (2012, May 04). The Hindenburg Disaster [Digital image]. Retrieved October 13, 2016, from

5. Educational Background
After receiving her nursing diploma, Abdellah did not stop there. She continued her education studying chemistry from at Rutgers University. She then attended the Teachers College of Columbia University in NYC earning her Bachelor of Science, Master of Art, Doctor of Education and Nursing degrees (Lessing, 2004). While furthering her education, Abdellah also worked as a private school nurse and was a member of the faculty at Yale in This is where she got her name, “The Book Burner” (Lessing, 2004).

6. Professional Career
: Commissioned Officer in the United States Public Health Service (Alligood, 2014).
: Chief Nursing Officer for USPHS (Alligood, 2014).
First Dean in the Graduate School of Nursing- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (Alligood, 2014).
Authored more than 150 professional publications (Alligood, 2014).
Most recognized works are Patient Centered Approaches to Nursing and Preparing for Nursing Research in the 21st Century: Evolution, Methodologies, and Challenges (Alligood, 2014).
Created Typology of 21 Nursing Problems (Alligood, 2014).

7. Recognitions & Awards
1994: Living Legend- American Academy of Nursing (Alligood, 2014). 2002: Induction into National Women’s Hall of Fame (Alligood, 2014). 2012: Induction into American Nurse’s Association Hall of Fame (Alligood, 2014).

8. Patient-Centered Approach
Divided into physical, emotional and sociological needs.
Abdellah does not provide a definition of health but describes it as "a healthy state of mind and body” (Petiprin, 2016).
“Changed the focus of nursing theory from a disease-centered to a patient- centered approach and moved nursing practice beyond the patient to include care of families and the elderly” (National Women’s Hall of Fame, 2016).
In an interview, Abdellah speaks about patient-centered care, “Today’s movement to prepare nurses is a marvelous coordination of science and practice to treat the patient and family as a whole. It inculcates the main reason for being a nurse, which is caring for the patient as a whole” (McAuliffe, 1998).

9. Abdellah’s Typology of 21 Nursing Problems
21 Nursing Problems 1-6 [Digital image]. (2014, September 29). Retrieved October 13, 2016, from

10. Abdellah’s Typology of 21 Nursing Problems
21 Nursing Problems 7-12 [Digital image]. (2014, September 29). Retrieved October 13, 2016, from

11. Abdellah’s Typology of 21 Nursing Problems
21 Nursing Problems [Digital image]. (2014, September 29). Retrieved October 13, 2016, from

12. Abdellah’s Typology of 21 Nursing Problems
21 Nursing Problems [Digital image]. (2014, September 29). Retrieved October 13, 2016, from

13. Incorporating Abdellah’s 21 Nursing Problems
Abdellah’s model of nursing was considered progressive for her time because she openly refers to a nursing diagnosis during a time when diagnoses were not part of the nurse’s role in healthcare. Her theory has integrated the concepts of health, nursing problems, and problem-solving. “The twenty-one nursing problems identified in the nursing theory are comprised of ten steps used to identify the patient's problems and eleven skills used in developing a treatment typology or nursing care plan” (Petiprin, 2016).

14. Nursing Practice Today
“Abdellah explained nursing as a comprehensive service” (Petiprin, 2016, Online).
Recognize the patient’s problems (Petiprin, 2016).
Determine a course of action based upon nursing principals (Petiprin, 2016).
Provide continuous care for total needs (Petiprin, 2016).
Adjust the nursing care plan to meet the changing needs of the client (Petiprin, 2016).

15. Nursing Practice Today
Help individuals become more self-directive and independent (Petiprin, 2016).
Instruct ancillary staff and family to encourage client to do for themselves within their limits (Petiprin, 2016).
Help the patient recognize and adjust to their limitations, if any (Petiprin, 2016).
Work within the multi-disciplinary levels to obtain optimum health status (Petiprin, 2016).
Continue research and education to improve nursing care and techniques (Petiprin, 2016).

16. Disadvantages Patient responsibilities Strongly “nurse-centered”
Holistic? /
Focus of Care Pendulum [Digital image]. (2014, September 29). Retrieved October 13, 2016,
from

17. Focus of Care Pendulum [Digital image]. (2014, September 29)
Focus of Care Pendulum [Digital image]. (2014, September 29). Retrieved October 13, 2016, from

18. Jyl Carter
I believe in Faye Glenn Abdellah’s nursing theory, Patient-Centered Approaches. This theory is based on problem solving and education in all environments whether your caring for someone in the hospital, long term care facility, or community. She models nursing as caring for a patient as a whole and having a healthy state of mind and body.

19. Megan Goffaux
Abdellah’s nursing theory encompasses all aspects of nursing care while focusing on the individual. It holds true to the “Golden Rule.” I can only hope that one day, if I am critically ill, my nurse will embrace these values when it comes to caring for me. I consider all 21 Nursing Problems when planning the care of my clients.

20. Maria Snyder
Faye Glenn Abdellah changed nursing care from being disease focused to patient centered. I believe in patient-centered care and that as nurses our primary focus is the patient. It is also important for us to treat a patient holistically and address physical, emotional and sociological needs.

21. Emily Gray
Abdellah’s theory stands out to me because she didn’t just accept what was, instead she was innovative and advocated for the need to have evidence based practice. She is also known for creating the patient-centered care concept, which I try to keep in mind in my daily practice as a nurse. She also places a big emphasis on not just the patient, but also the family! This is so important because a lot of times they are the ones caring for the patient after the nurse is no longer needed. It is so important to incorporate the family in teaching and discharge instructions as well as the patient.

22. References
Alligood, M. R. (2014). Nursing theorists and their work. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. Klein, C. (2012). The Hindenburg disaster: 9 surprising facts. History. Retrieved from Lessing, M. (2004). Up close and personal: Interview with Rear Admiral Faye Glenn Abdellah. Military Medicine, 169 (11), iii-xi. McAuliffe, M. S. (1998). Interview with Faye G. Abdellah on nursing research and health policy. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 30(3), National Women’s Hall of Fame (2016). Faye Glenn Abdellah. Retrieved from Petiprin, A. (2016). 21 nursing problems by Faye Abdellah. Retrieved from Wayne, G. (2014). 21 Nursing problems theory. Nurse Labs. Retrieved from