Patricia Brenner: The Transition Into Nursing Profession

According to theorist Patricia Brenner, the transition into the nursing profession can be broken down into five levels based on skill acquisition and critical judgement: novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert. In order to progress from the novice stage to clinical expertise it is essential that we apply the knowledge that we learned into experiential learning. The only way we will be able to grow is using the knowledge we learned and “hands on” practice.
The novice stage lack experience needed to perform safe practice. They are more task-oriented and lack the critical thinking behind the tasks. They need constant physical and verbal cues in clinical situations. Nursing students fall into the novice stage.

The advanced