The "Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice" (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008) seek to communicate standards that will prepare graduates to function within a complex healthcare system. The document highlights concepts from patient-centered care to evidence-based practice (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education). A service-learning experience was facilitated for junior-level nursing students and they were asked to reflect on their learning outcomes using the nine "essentials" as a guiding framework. Themes were identified within the nine sub-categories and through overall analysis. By using standardized disciplinary outcomes to develop a sense of the "bigger picture" for students, it is possible to help them make connections between theory and practice.