Benner’s Stages Of Nursing Proficiency Essays Example

Patricia Benner’s From Novice to Expert is a philosophy that attempts to understand how an individual progresses from being a nursing student to a working nurse to an expert nurse with many experiences in the field. She explains how knowledge and skills are acquired and applied to the various aspects of nursing: practice, education, research, and administration. The theory’s five stages in order are: novice/beginner, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert. These levels reflect three changes in the performance of a nurse: “[the] move from a reliance on abstract principles to the use of past concrete experiences; a change from viewing a situation as multiple fragments, to seeing a more holistic picture with more relevant factors; and a movement from detached observer to active performer” (115). The progression from stage to stage is completed through the learning process and taking that knowledge and applying it to patients’ and their cases; experience drives the progression of a nurse. Benner also believed that transitioning through the stages, a nurse had to rely on the very practice of nursing – holistic care.
In my reflection, I believe I am at the end of Proficient and transitioning into Expert. To progress into the last stage, I must perform with smooth actions and respond to patient’s needs quickly and concisely. To grasp these characteristics, I must keep working and experiencing nursing care. As I continue to work, I will see more and more patients with different illnesses. With more experience, I will gain greater intuition to what my patients need from me in order to gain strength and return to their everyday life, free from their illness. Additionally, I can become more culturally competent as there is a possibility I will see patients from many different backgrounds. These patients may have very different needs from the patients I usually tend to. Becoming more knowledgeable will help me to understand cultural differences and how the patients expect to receive care.

References

Altmann, T. (2007). An evaluation of the seminal work of Patricia Benner: Theory or
philosophy? Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 25(1-2), 114-123.