The use of a nursing model (NM) for nursing administration offers direct and indirect benefits for both patients and nurses. Depending on the NM chosen, the concepts of person, health, nursing, and environment are very different. Each NM has its own particular vision of the practice of nursing. This study investigated whether Chief Nursing Officers (CNO) in bilingual and French-speaking Belgian hospitals integrate NMs into the politics of their department. A quantitative, descriptive, and correlational survey was conducted, with 97.5% of CNOs (78/80) participating in the research. It appears that a NM underlies the action of the nursing department in only 38% of the departments (30/78). Where a NM is used, it is explicitly communicated to staff (26/30). Among the models used, that of Virginia Henderson dominates (26/30). The seniority of the CNO in their role, as well as variables relating to educational courses and clinical context appear to influence the results. The NMs of the transformation paradigm remain little used. A qualitative study would be useful in order to deepen the understanding of CNOs’ experience of NMs.