Discussion on Benner's Theory of Novice to Expert

Benner’s novice to expert theory
introductionPatricia Benner provided the nursing profession with what we know now
as novice to expert theory. The stages of clinical competence help the
nurses acquire skills to help them advance to the next level (Alligood,
2017). She categorized nursing into five levels of capabilities. The
experiences and different encounters in situations help nurses in
developing skills. Exposure and experiences in the clinical setup equip
nurses with more skills and knowledge that make them competent and
excellent in taking care of the patients Yoo, (M. S., & Park, 2014).

Novice
Advanced learner
Competent
Proficient
Expert
stages of clinical
competence

The different levels reflect movement from
reliance of abstract principles to concrete
experiences where perception of situation is
terms of relevance.
Abstract principles are expanded at each
level of experiences helping the learner
acquire more experiences.
In the nursing profession, an expert s the
one who provides the most exquisite care to
the clients.
Significance of the theory to
nurses

When it comes to clinical decision-making
experience of the nurse matters. Their
decisions are influenced by the experiences at
the clinical setup. Length of clinical experiences
relate to the frequency of decision-making.
The stages also describe nursing as a
continuous process of learning with experiences
and competency in it is achieved at the final
stage(Attard, Baldacchino & Camilleri, 2014).
Significance of the theory to
nurses continued