Nursing theories have been a fundamental tool used to explain, guide and improve nursing practice. Theorists have contributed enormously to the growth of nursing as a profession. The four great theorists I have chosen are Virginia Henderson, Peplau, Myra Levine, and Jean Watson. These theorists have contributed enormously to the field of nursing through their theories and research. One thing theorists have in common is that they are patient-centered. They are all concerned about how we can improve our responsibility towards patients, their families and the environment. They have different ideas but they all aim to achieve the same goal, namely patient satisfaction and safety. Their differences lie in their areas of nursing specialization, their definition of nursing, and their nursing philosophies. Virginia Henderson Hildegard Peplau Myra Levine Jean Watson TYPE OF THEORY Needs Theorist Interaction Theorist Outcome Theorist Care Theorist EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND 1921- US Army of Nursing1932- BS Columbia University1934- MA Columbia University 1931- Pottstown Diploma1943- BA from Bennington College1947- MA in Psychiatric Columbia University New York 1944- Diploma of Cook County School of Nursing1949- BS Chicago University1962- Master of Science in Nursing at Wayne State University Detroit1992- Honorary Doctorate at Loyola University 1961- Lewis Gale School of Nursing at Roanoke Virginia1964 -BS University of Colorado at Boulder1966- MS in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing1973- PhD in Educational and Counseling PsychologyNine honorary doctorates in six countries.PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING Assistance with 14 daily activities or needs. ( Meleis. P...... half of paper ......nal for Human Caring11 (4), 8-16. Mefford, L. C., & Alligood, M R. (2011). Testing a theory of health promotion for preterm infants based on Levine's conservation nursing model. The Journal of Theory Construction & Testing 15(2), 41-47 , Professor of Nursing and Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2012.Sitzman, K. (2007. ). Caring by Jean Watson International Journal For Human Caring11 (4), 8-16.Sitzman, K and Watson, J. (2014 Caring Science, Mindful Practice: Implementing Watson's Human Caring Theory, New York, NY USA: Springer Publishing Co.