Accelerated nursing students are ideal informants regarding abstract nursing concepts. How emotional intelligence (EI) is used in nursing remains a relatively elusive process that has yet to be empirically modeled. The purpose of this study was to generate a theoretical model that explains how EI is used in nursing by accelerated baccalaureate nursing students. Using a mixed methods grounded theory study design, theoretical sampling of EI scores directed sampling for individual interviews and focus groups. Caring for a human being emerged as the basic social process at the heart of which all other processes--Getting it; Being caring; The essence of professional nurse caring; Doing something to make someone feel better; and Dealing with difficulty--are interconnected. In addition to a theoretical explanation of the use of EI in nursing, this study corroborates findings from other qualitative studies in nursing and contributes a rich description of accelerated baccalaureate nursing students and an example of a mixed methods study design to the small but growing literature in these areas.