A descriptive study was conducted to determine whether staff nurses identified the same nursing diagnoses and defining characteristics from a written case study. A convenience sample of 83 staff nurses from four acute care institutions participated in the study. Of the total diagnostic statements made, 43% were the same as those identified by an expert panel. Only three nurses (3.6%) correctly identified all five nursing diagnoses. An additional seven (8.4%) nurses correctly identified four of the five nursing diagnoses. The demographic characteristics of these nurses were varied. There was no statistical relationship between any of the demographic variables and the ability to correctly identify the nursing diagnoses.