Free genogram template

Nursing Genogram Template (Free, Editable)

Document family health patterns, caregiving and supports for community and family nursing practice.

Updated October 2026 · PDF, PowerPoint, PNG and SVG · no sign-up

Quick answer

A nursing genogram template maps a patient's family across three generations with each person's health conditions, age at onset, and age and cause of death, plus who cares for whom. Nursing students and family nurses use it for family health assessments and care planning, often alongside an eco-map. GenogramAI offers a free printable PDF and an editable online example.

Open in GenogramAI (free) Download blank PDF

Download the nursing genogram template

Free files, no sign-up or email. Print the blank, edit the PowerPoint, or reuse the example image with a credit to genogramai.com.

When to use a nursing genogram template

Use this template for a family health assessment in community, family or maternal-child nursing, or for the genogram part of a nursing course assignment. Under every symbol it prompts for age, condition and age at onset, or age and cause of death, which is the information a care plan actually uses.

Nursing assessments are about the family as a unit of care, so record caregiving as well as diagnoses: who drives a parent to appointments, who lives alone, who manages medications. Add a caregiving or close line between the carer and the person they look after, and note recent transitions (a death, a diagnosis, a move) in the health notes.

If the assignment also asks for outside supports such as clinics, employers or faith communities, the Genogram and Eco-Map Template puts both on one page. For a purely hereditary risk history, the Medical Genogram Template has a fuller colour key.

The blank template and a filled-in example

Left: the blank printable. Right: the same template filled in for a fictional family in GenogramAI.

Blank nursing genogram template: A three-generation structure (grandparent couples, parents with sibling slots, three children with the index person in a double outline), a Patient / DOB / Nurse / Date header, a medical shading key, an "age, condition and age at onset / age and cause of death" prompt under each person, and lines for health notes. — Blank: A three-generation structure (grandparent couples, parents with sibling slots, three children with the index person in a double outline), a Patient / DOB / Nurse / Date header, a medical shading key, an "age, condition and age at onset / age and cause of death" prompt under each person, and lines for health notes.

Nursing Genogram Template filled in: Nursing Genogram Example: Family Health Assessment drawn in GenogramAI with a genogram key — Filled in: The example is a fictional family health assessment for Patricia Bennett (60), who came to a health check with raised blood pressure and a borderline HbA1c: heart disease and type 2 diabetes on her husband's side, breast cancer in two women, COPD in her father, and a caregiving line to her mother Irene, who has dementia. Read the full example

Open this example in GenogramAI to start from the finished layout: it copies into your account (the Free plan holds 2 genograms) and every person, line and condition stays editable.

How to fill in a nursing genogram template

1
Map the household and immediate family
Start with the patient and everyone in the household, then their parents, siblings and children. Note ages and main diagnoses.
2
Add health history across generations
Extend to grandparents. Shade conditions using the key and fill in the prompt under each person: age at onset, or age and cause of death.
3
Record caregiving and supports
Mark who cares for whom and recent transitions. If outside services matter, pair the genogram with an eco-map of healthcare providers, community services, work and faith communities.

Symbols this template uses

Drawn the way GenogramAI draws them. Every other symbol is in the genogram symbols guide and the genogram key.

Symbol	What it means
Double outline	The patient being assessed (a highlighted outline in GenogramAI).
Left half shaded	Physical or mental illness, one colour per condition.
Bottom half shaded	Alcohol or drug misuse, including smoking-related history if you choose to track it.
Striped shading	Suspected condition, for example prediabetes found at a health check.
X through the symbol	Deceased; write age and cause of death underneath.
Caregiving line (arrowheads)	In GenogramAI, care directed from one person to another, such as a daughter caring for her mother.
Widowed partner line	A partner line with an X, used when one spouse has died.

Common mistakes to avoid

Recording diagnoses without age at onset; "heart disease at 48" and "at 85" mean very different risks.
Leaving out the caregiving and household information that drives the care plan.
Copying a diagnosis the family is unsure of as confirmed instead of marking it suspected.
Forgetting the patient's own children, who are often the reason a hereditary finding matters.

Who uses this template?

Community health nurses, family nurse practitioners, BSN and MSN nursing students, and nursing faculty.

Common uses

Community health nursing family assessments
Family nurse practitioner intake and health history
Pediatric and maternal-child nursing family mapping
Chronic disease management: identifying family support and risk
Nursing school practicum and clinical assignment documentation

What the template covers

Three-generation layout with nursing-focused health prompts
Patient / DOB / Nurse / Date header
Medical shading key (illness, substance misuse, suspected, remission)
Age at onset and cause-of-death prompts under each person
Health notes area for caregiving, transitions and supports

What is free?

Free and paid, plainly

All five files on this page (blank PDF, PowerPoint, SVG, example PDF and PNG) are free to download and use, with no sign-up. In GenogramAI, the Free plan includes 2 genograms, 5 AI credits a month, all 64 relationship types, medical shading and PNG export, with no card. PDF, SVG and GEDCOM export, file import and photo import are on paid plans; Professional is $12/month.

Frequently asked questions

What is a genogram in nursing?

In nursing, a genogram is a family assessment tool that maps health history, hereditary conditions and family relationships across three or more generations. It is used in family-centred care, particularly in community health, family and maternal-child nursing.

What is the difference between a genogram and an eco-map in nursing?

A genogram maps the family itself: who is related to whom, health history and patterns across generations. An eco-map maps the family's links to outside systems such as healthcare providers, schools, employers and community services. Nursing assessments often use both: the genogram for internal structure and risk, the eco-map for supports and stressors.

How do nursing students use genograms in clinical assignments?

Community health and family nursing courses often ask students to interview a family (or use a case study), map three generations with health conditions, and write an analysis of health patterns and care implications. GenogramAI exports the finished chart as PNG free, or PDF on paid plans, for submission.

Do nurse practitioners use genograms in practice?

Yes. Family and pediatric nurse practitioners use genograms at intake to document family health history and hereditary risk, and to understand the family context for chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and mental health, where family patterns affect both risk and adherence.

Can I use this template with the Calgary Family Assessment Model?

Yes. The Calgary model, described by Wright and Leahey, uses a genogram for the structural assessment and an eco-map for the family's external structure. This template covers the genogram part; the Genogram and Eco-Map Template covers both on one page.