Nursing Expert: The Five Levels Of Nursing Practice

Nursing Expertise
Liberty University

According to Benner, there are five levels of experience regarding nursing (2001). The levels of nursing range from novice to expert (Benner, 2001). This information is based on the Dreyfus Model which was designed by Stuart Dreyfus (Benner, 2001). It is important for nurses to become experts in their field and to guide novice nurses.
The first stage of nursing practice is novice (Benner, 2001). A novice is a beginner who has no experience. During this time the novice nurse is adjusting to the environment and picking up basic skills. A novice can include a brand new nurse or a nurse who has recently moved to a new unit (Benner, 2001). This nurse is focused on learning the
This nurse is on autopilot. The answers seem obvious to this nurse because she uses her experiences and not guidelines to make her decisions (Benner, 2001). This nurse is able to speak and make decisions with a certainty because it is second nature to her (Benner, 2001). She is able to understand the patient and what is going on with them (Benner, 2001).
Over a year ago I changed my area of nursing to the psychiatric field. Prior to that point I had some patients with a primary psychiatric diagnosis but mainly medical patients. I had experience with a family member who suffers from bipolar disorder as well. At this point I feel as though my stage of experience is competent.
A competent nurse is able to plan out her day but may not be as fast as a more experienced nurse (Benner, 2001). When I come into work in the morning I already know about my day. I am prepared for the unit that I will be working on that day. Ahead of time I have secured items that will make the shift run more smoothly. I have a deck of cards for patient use, coloring books, arts and crafts, and cigarettes. Many times there is a lapse of time in the schedule and patients who are bored tend to act out aggressively. Some of the patients who come in do have a smoking habit but no cigarettes, I keep a pack in my work bag because I have seen an entire unit erupt in chaos over a
Having the right tools makes the day manageable. I have a packet of nursing group topics so that I can start a group at a moment’s notice. The schedule does not always go as planned. A pen light and scissors are always at hand because those are the clinical tools I make most use of in my practice.
The way I interact with my patients can change the dynamic of the milieu. Each psychiatric patient has to be treated like an individual. Having a depressed patient, a manic patient, and an actively psychotic patient on a psychiatric unit is no different than having a patient with a pacemaker, a valve replacement, and a bypass graft together on a telemetry unit. Different patients call for different interventions.
When dealing with any patient it is important to make sure you are aware of the situation and have any necessary information prior to meeting with the patient (Bowers, 2010). I make sure that I have reviewed the patient’s information before I interact with them. It is important to introduce yourself to the patient (Bowers, 2010). It is sometimes best to offer increased personal space (Bowers, 2010). When I come into work I always try to be at my very best so that I can be positive and optimistic. This approach can be motivating not only for patients but also for other staff members (Bowers,