From a professional standpoint, nurses have the responsibility of recognizing and responding to the plethora of new demands that arise from the constantly changing health care system. Nursing experts begin as students and are at times overwhelmed by expert nurses’ practice such that they do not recognize their own progress. With the help of Patricia Benner, however, nurses can review the stages they have to go through to become experts. The work is a five-stage description of gradually becoming an expert from novice. The purpose of this paper is to summarize Benner’s Novice Expert Theory and carry out a self-assessment which describes my current stage and a professional development plan on how I will move to the next stage.
Summary
Authored by Patricia Benner, Novice to Expert Theory generally talks about the concept that to become an expert nurse one has to develop a set of skills that are critical for understanding patient care. The skills are gained through numerous experiences as well as a sound educational base. Benner proposes that a nurse could gain knowledge without the need to learn theories. Further, she explains that the development of knowledge in applied medical disciplines such as medicine is made up of extension of practical knowledge through research, characterization, and understanding of clinical experience. Benner emphasizes that to become an expert, nursing skills are prerequisites.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The most preliminary stage is novice where the nursing student is in her first year of clinical education. The beginner is a student with no experience. He or she is taught general rules that will help them perform tasks. Benner further adds that the rule-governed behavior of the nursing student is limited and inflexible at the novice stage. As a result he or she is limited in terms of capacity and ability to predict the outcomes in certain patient situations.
As described in Benner’s Novice to Expert Theory, the second stage is an advanced beginner. At this stage the student has some knowledge and basics but lacks adequate experience. Benner (1982) states the nurse is a new graduate in his/her first job and has the ability to recognize meaningful and recurrent elements from a patient care situation. In addition the nurse demonstrates acceptable performance. Also principles based on experiences begin to formulate to guide his or her actions.
Stage three is competent. Typically a nurse who has been on the job in the same area or day to day similar situations for two or three years is able to demonstrate competency. At this stage, a long-term plan establishes a perspective and it is based on considerable conscious, abstract, and analytical contemplation of the problem that helps achieve greater efficiency.
Benner’s fourth stage is proficient. At this stage, the nurse perceives and understands situations as a whole rather than in chopped aspects. In addition, the nurse learns from experience what typical events to anticipate in a situation and how plans need to be modified to establish plans in their response. The holistic understanding helps the nurse in decision-making.
The fifth and final stage is expert. At this stage the nurse no longer relies on principles, rules or guidelines to connect situations and determine the kind of actions they need. His or her performance becomes fluid, flexible and highly proficient (Thomas & Kellgren, 2017). In addition the nurse has a high intuitive of clinical situations and a greater background of experience.
Self-Assessment of the current Stage
Upon completing an assessment based on Benner’s Novice to Expert Theory, I realized I am at the novice stage. I have a basic understanding of my role as a nurse but have no previous experience. I have had the privilege of seeing nurse practitioners in their offices but never worked alongside one. The only knowledge I possess at this level is what I have learned so far in my degree. I got to this level by learning general rules to help in performing tasks. At this level my behavior is limited and inflexible when it comes to handling patient situations. Often I have to inquire about what I have to do in certain situations.
Professional Growth Plan
As a novice, my next goal is to become an advanced beginner. First, there is the need to understand that I have a long way to go rather am not an expert. It will take me the next year to reach the level of an advanced beginner. I am excited to expand my nursing skills with care for the elderly because I have not been familiar with my nursing career. I have to demonstrate acceptable performance and move from relying on abstract principles to concrete experiences that will help guide my actions in an event.
I also noted that to effectively advance through the various levels of nursing some skills are necessary. First, communication is critical (Batch & Windsor, 2015). To my advantage, I am a good listener and this will help me promote patient wellness. Secondly adequate knowledge is important. Therefore I have to be keen on giving accurate medical history. To advance to the next level, I have to ask questions where necessary in order to get the correct response. Another goal is to learn from those who have advanced in the skill. I hope to gain skills that will help me navigate through the ladders and become an expert at the end of my degree.
In conclusion, Benner’s theory is made of five stags which include novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert. The theory addresses all the metaparadigm concepts that are necessary to advance from a novice to an expert. Also, through the theory, I have carried a self-assessment on what I can do to move from my current stage of a novice to an advanced beginner. Some of the set goals include asking questions and learning from experienced nurses.
References
Batch, M., & Windsor, C. (2015). Nursing casualization and communication: a critical ethnography. Journal of advanced nursing , 71 (4), 870-880.
Benner, P. (1982). From novice to expert. AJN The American Journal of Nursing , 82 (3), 402-407.
Thomas, C. M., & Kellgren, M. (2017). Benner’s novice to expert model: An application for simulation facilitators. Nursing science quarterly , 30 (3), 227-234.
