Dunphy (1998) drew on aspects of the theory of Nursing as Caring, particularly the idea of knowing the other as caring person, in the development of a model for advanced practice nursing, "the circle of caring." Dunphy was concerned with clarifying the disciplinary identify of advanced practice nursing as nursing. In an effort to transcend perspectives of advanced practice nursing based on the traditional reductionist medical science and nursing process models, processes of care are superimposed on a traditional medical model (Dunphy, 1998). The circle of care "incorporates individual strengths of both nursing and medicine but reformulates them in a new model of care... rooted in the lived experience of the patient" (p. 11). Caring quality indicators suffuse the entire model, and include courage, authentic presence, advocacy, knowing, commitment and patience. Elements formerly termed diagnosis and treatment are termed caring processes in the new model, in an attempt to ground advanced practice in nursing values. The core component of the model, caring processes, focuses on ways of knowing the person as caring and of truly being with the person in advanced practice nursing situations. It is this core that provides the crucial link of caring as the central focus of both traditional nursing and advanced practice nursing. CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE THEORY OF NURSING AS CARING There is evidence that the theory of Nursing as Caring has entered the mainstream of nursing thought. Nursing as Caring is included in several collected and/or edited works on nursing theories (George, 1995; Parker, 1993; Parker, 2000). In George's (1995) compendium of general nursing theories, Nursing as Caring is described and the structures of nursing process and the metaparadigm concepts of Fawcett are used as a framework for analysis and evaluation. Parker's books, Patterns of Nursing Theories in Practice (1993) and Nursing Theories and Nursing Practice (2000) are collections of original chapters authored by the various nurse theorists and by nurses using the particular theory in practice. Nursing as Caring is represented in both these books by original chapters authored by the theory's originators (Schoenhofer & Boykin, 1993; Boykin & Schoenhofer, 2000) as well as by chapters written by nurses describing their practice which is guided by the theory (Kearney &Yeager, 1993; Linden, 2000).