The "Core,
Care, and Cure" Theory was developed in the late 1960's. She postulated that individuals could
be conceptualized in three separate domains: the body (care), the illness, (cure), and the person
(core).
Hall believed
patients should receive care ONLY from professional nurses. Nursing involves interacting with a
patient in a complex process of teaching and learning. Hall was not pleased with the concept of team
nursing--she said that "any career that is defined around the work that has to be done, and how it
is divided to get it done, is a "trade" (rather than a profession).
Nursing
functions in all three of the circles (core, care, and cure) but shares them to different degrees
with other disciplines. For example, the nurse's function in the cure circle is limited to helping
patients/families deal with the measures instituted by the physician. She felt that the care circle
was exclusive to nursing. The core circle was shared with social workers, psychologists, clergy, etc.
(Extract from
WILLIAM D. AHRENS, MSN, RN
University of North Carolina)
