Ida J. Orlando was one of the first nursing theorists to write about the nursing process based on her own research. Her Deliberative Nursing Process Theory focuses on the interaction between the nurse and patient, perception validation, and the use of the nursing process to produce positive outcomes or patient improvement. Orlando's key focus was to define the function of nursing. This author's purpose is to acquaint nurses with Orlando's theory and to encourage the use of the deliberative process to bring about patient improvement. This article provides an analysis of Orlando's theory and a demonstration of its successful use in clinical practice in an extended care setting.