Benner's Nursing Theory Paper Example

Theory, Practice, and Research

Dr. Patricia Benner a nursing theorist, was born in the year 1942. She was born in Hampton to her parents Shirley and Clint Sawyer. She was born into a family of three girls. While in high school, her parents divorced and it became so difficult for them as a family. Initially, she was not a nurse but her interest in being one began when she served at a local hospital as an admitting clerk (Nguyen, 2016). She later joined the nursing school to pursue a nursing major. Benner studied up to master level majoring in medical-surgical nursing. She also pursued Ph.D. in coping, stress, and health in the University of California. Benner had written the book "From Novice to Expert: Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing Practice" in her stages of clinical competence while developing her model (Alligood, 2017). Among the most useful models in the assessment of the needs of nurses at different professional growth stages, Benner's theory is one of them. The theory focuses more on how nurses get the knowledge and how one could gain the nursing knowledge (Nguyen, 2016). The foundation Benner's theory is founded on Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition (Nguyen, 2016). She also worked with Judith Wrubel to outspread her theory and add the identification and incorporation of caring into the skill acquisition process. By developing, the theory Benner in her theory drew skill development and learning n the practice of clinical nursing.

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Assumptions of the Theory

The reason for Benner in the study of nursing in the clinical nurse practice field was to learn and get some more knowledge that is entrenched in the nursing practice. For Benner to determine and understand the distinguishing differences experienced in clinical situations she interviewed the new nurses in the profession together with the expertise (Thomas et al., 2015). Benner found out new ways that can present nursing practice so that it can give an understanding of the significance and complexity of nursing as a profession (Padilha, Machado, Ribeiro & Ramos, 2018). Benner had a belief that record keeping of the nurses' recognition abilities, perceptions, character, and meanings she collected from the expertise nurse are useful and would help the nurses to advance their works at their stations and refine their skills.

On the other hand, most nurses are aberrant while documenting the clinical learning. The nursing theory of knowledge exclusivity of nurses that is in the expert clinical practice is taken away by not talking of the nurses' practice and their clinical observations (Padilha et al., 2018). Benner, from her research, made some theoretical differences from her theory. She caves two different types of knowledge these are; knowing how and knowing that. Know how she says is the extension of the practical knowledge in the nursing field through the scientific investigations based on the theory that knows that which is important in the development of knowledge of the nursing discipline. Some theorists say that there are many theories we pose but cannot be accounted for (Alligood, 2017). Therefore, that has caused the rise of confirming evidence from the skill level of the experts whom via their experience have learned to give way to perception.

Strengths And Weaknesses of Benner's Theory

Benner's Novice to Expert Theory has an advantage to the nurses who use it. The theory move through five proficiency level since it does not have any consistency nor lucidness thus it is not very specific nor clear (Nguyen, 2016). It is through the theory that the nurses gain more knowledge about their nursing practice and get professional growth after reflecting on their experiences. The past experiences help the nurses build up their skills of critical thinking and their competence too. That is of great importance to the nurses as it helps them work effectively in their current works without any difficulties in handling things for both home clinicians and hospital clinician (Alligood, 2017).

The Benner's theory, on the other hand, had some limitations which are: poor definition of literature stages in her literature. Also, the evidence given to support the nursing existence that she collected from the nursing practice is frail. That makes the theory not good for use by the nurses. Additionally, in assigning nurses to stages, there is no reliability in the criteria used and they do not correlate well with the expertise.

In the Benner's theory, there is no quantitative data. The stages too used in Benner's theory are imprecise. There are several pieces of evidence showing that persons are fluent in a single sub-field but they are not in another but the theory implies that, persons are only categorized in a single stage.

Application of Theory

Novice to Expert Theory is applied in several instances in the nursing practice. Firstly, reflective practice is connected to the quality of care improvement, professional goal and personal stimulation. The gap between practice and theory is also closed by engaging in reflective practice (Aliakbari, Parvin, Heidari, & Haghani, 2015). Secondly, the theory offers necessary skills for critical analysis, description, self-awareness, evaluation, synthesis, and judgment. Being a contemplative practitioner, one will review his or her daily practice and find a way how they did everything and what they could improve on it. According to the planning and a little change of the writer, will help in being more proficient and gaining knowledge. The writer is able to increase her skills of critical thinking as she gains experience as an FNP while in her duty of work (Aliakbari et al., 2015). Soon as time goes on the perception changes due to the experience gained in her work. Thus, her acting and view of the clinical situations will be different. In every opportunity given there must be something little to learn and knowledge becomes more firm in the impending work through reflection. By becoming an expert nurse, one will have a deeper understanding of the situations at work and presents a thinking process that is instinctive. Through all the experiences, the writer is likely to carry out her activities selflessly and holistically handle the situations as she has become unaware of herself and has developed skills to help her work effectively.

In Benner's Novice to Expert theory, there is experience gain for the expert nurses. The nurses also develop understanding and skills during their education as well as in their number of experiences that they would use while handling patients (Thomas & Kellgren, 2017). Benner says that becoming an expert nurse is not an easy thing it requires self-confidence and understanding since one handles different patients. Reflecting and the experience gained in the clinical situations is a chance for the writer to understand herself better thus enhancing personal growth. That is very helpful in every nurse's career as it helps improve the patients' outcomes that helping an individual develop self-confidence. In the future that will facilitate one to be an expert nurse practitioner.

References

Aliakbari, F., Parvin, N., Heidari, M., & Haghani, F. (2015). Learning theories application in nursing education. Journal of education and health promotion, 4.

Alligood, M. R. (2017). Nursing Theorists and Their Work-E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Nguyen, T. (2016). Family Nurse Practitioner Programs: Bridging the Role Transition from Registered Nurse to Family Nurse Practitioner.

Padilha, J. M., Machado, P. P., Ribeiro, A. L., & Ramos, J. L. (2018). Clinical virtual simulation in nursing education. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 15, 13-18.

Thomas, C. M., & Kellgren, M. (2017). Benner's Novice to Expert Model: An Application for Simulation Facilitators. Nursing science quarterly, 30(3), 227-234.

Thomas, C. M., Sievers, L. D., Kellgren, M., Manning, S. J., Rojas, D. E., & Gamblian, V. C. (2015). Developing a theory-based simulation educator resource. Nursing education perspectives, 36(5), 340-342.