A nurse is developing a plan of care concerning growth and development for a hospitalized adolescent. What should the nurse do? (Select all that apply.)

A) Apply developmental theories when making observations of the adolescent's patterns of growth and development.
B) Compare the adolescent's assessment findings versus normal findings.
C) Recognize her own (the nurse's) moral developmental level.
D) Stick with one developmental theory for consistency.
E) Apply a unidimensional life span perspective.

Today's nurses need to be knowledgeable about several theoretical perspectives when working with patients. These theories form the basis for meaningful observation of an individual's pattern of growth and development. They provide important guidelines for nurses to recognize deviations from the norm. Recognizing your own moral developmental level is essential in separating your own beliefs from those of others when helping patients with their moral decision-making process. No one theory successfully describes all the intricacies of human growth and development. Growth and development, as supported by a life span perspective, is multidimensional, not unidimensional.