The inpatient treatment plan is the essential guide to coordinate the nursing & adjunctive therapeutic staff’s approach to the multiple needs of hospitalized patients. The written plan articulates the link between the patient’s presenting problems & the services available to alleviate them. The case of Steve, a 44-year-old Vietnam veteran, experiencing flashbacks, delusions, & suicidal ideation is used as illustration of the careful thought needed to arrive at a workable approach.