Patricia Benner Novice To Expert Theory Analysis

Introduction
Doctor Patricia Benner is a nursing theorist who is a researcher and highly-respected author. She has published nine books (receiving book of the year from the American Journal of Nursing four times) and many articles. She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Pasadena college, her MSN from UCSF and her Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. In 1982 she published her novice to expert theory. In this paper I will discuss this theory and how it applies to me as a nurse. I will also discuss two articles published by Patricia Benner. “Beware of Technological Imperatives and Commercial Interests That Prevent Best Practices” and “Honoring the Good Behind Rights and Justice in Healthcare When More Than Justice is Needed”. Both articles were
Nurses move from one stage to the next based on their experience and understanding of their roles. As a nurse’s knowledge and perception expands so does his or her effectiveness. Based on Dr. Benner’s theory I would say that I am in the competent stage of my career. The definition of competent is having the skills, knowledge, and ability to do something successfully. I am familiar with most situations that I come across, and even when I find myself in an unfamiliar situation, I am able to draw upon past experiences to make me an effective nurse. Although I do know what to expect in many situations (doctor’s orders, test that will be run, expected length of stay based on admitting diagnosis), I still do not consider myself a proficient nurse as of yet. Every day on the floor I work alongside nurses that are in each stage described by Dr. Benner’s theory. Working with these nurses, gaining knowledge from and giving knowledge to them, helps us all advance from one stage of our profession to the next. The expert nurse has a lot of experiences and has a lot of knowledge. This nurse operates with an autonomy earned from years on the job. They are familiar with the attending physicians and many of the patients. They also have firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of their unit. I work on a critical care step down unit and work with different types of drips. Because I am familiar with drips I am sometimes floated to cardiovascular intensive care unit. Floating to CVICU I get to interact with the expert nurses which I enjoy a lot because it helps me gain knowledge to become a more proficient nurse. Eventually I would like to transfer to a critical care unit so that I can continue to move forward and become an expert