The effective use of nursing diagnoses plays an important role in improving the quality of nursing care. However, evidence regarding the extent to which nursing students use these diagnoses in clinical practice is limited. The primary purpose of this retrospective descriptive study is to examine the nursing diagnoses used by nursing students in their clinical care plans based on the Roper-Logan-Tierney Activities of Living Model. The study aims to determine the students' diagnostic trends and identify areas requiring improvement in nursing education.

This research is designed as a retrospective descriptive study. The study evaluates the care plan files prepared by first-year nursing students at Yalova University Department of Nursing during the 2021-2025 academic years. The clinical care plans (estimated n=324) are retrospectively screened and analyzed. The study focuses on determining the distribution of nursing diagnoses according to the activities of living, identifying differences in diagnoses based on clinical practice areas (such as surgical vs. internal medicine wards), and evaluating the students' approach to holistic care. The findings will provide evidence to reorganize and strengthen the nursing education curriculum, particularly regarding neglected psychosocial areas.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being a first-year nursing student at the relevant institution between the years 2021-2025.
• Care plan pages containing complete information necessary for analysis.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not being a first-year nursing student.
• Care plans with missing information (e.g., mandatory fields left blank or forms being illegible).

The study population consists of first-year nursing students enrolled at the Department of Nursing, Yalova University, between the 2021 and 2025 academic years. The population includes students who completed clinical practice requirements and submitted written patient care plans.

Due to privacy and ethical constraints regarding student and patient confidentiality, individual raw data will not be shared publicly. Only aggregated data will be reported in the final publication.