Benner’s Theory of Novice to Expert and Its Effectiveness

Benner’s theory of
novice to expert and its
effectiveness
- A short but brief presentation

Introduction
 In acute care settings, nursing is a complex
profession that requires responsible nursing
practice to provide a long-term ongoing care.
 In order to provide the effective care, it is
important to understand the differences
between the nurses who are experienced and
novice.
 This presentation clearly discusses all the
levels of Benner’s theory of novice to expert in
this regard (Thomas & Kellgren, 2017).
 It also argues on its importance in nursing
practice which is argued in the article by

Benner’s original research
 Goals: To find difference between the working
performance of novice and expert nurse in same
clinical situation.
 Participants: 21 nurse preceptors and 21 nurses
who are graduated, participated in the research
process. 51 experienced nurses, 5 senior nursing
students ,11 newly graduated nurses were also a
part of the research process.
 Collection of research: Data was collected by
observing their behavior in clinical situations and
also taking interviews with some narrative
accounts of situations (Elhami, Ban, Mousaviasl & Zahedi, 2018).

Benner’s theory of novice to
expert
 Benner’s theory of novice to expert discusses five levels of
proficiency as per Dreyfus Model, through which nurses can
develop their skills and competencies and become expert from a
novice in the profession.
 The five different levels are:
1. Novice
2. Advanced beginner
3. Competent
4. Proficient
5. Expert
 These levels reflect the changes in the aspect of skilled performance
(Thomas & Kellgren, 2017).