Dr. Mitchell is dedicated to promoting nursing as a unique relationship-based discipline and is a strong proponent of the "human becoming" theory of nursing. She has authored numerous publications and book chapters on patient centered care, quality of life, the ethics of problem-based care, and the value and limitations of evidence-based healthcare. The theory, philosophical in its orientation, incorporates each patient's human experience in the practice of nursing. In her long professional career, Dr. Mitchell has served as a staff nurse, a nurse specialist in gerontology and a chief nursing officer.