Patricia Benner´s Novice to Expert theory using the Model of Skill Acquisition

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Patricia Benner is known as one of the most recognized theorist of our time. Patricia born in 1955 in Hampton, Virginia spent most of her childhood in California. It was there that she received her professional education. This paper will focus on her Novice to Expert theory using the Model of Skill Acquisition through defining concepts within her conceptual framework, identifying assumptions within her theory, discussing the significance of her theory as it relates to advanced practice nursing, and addressing how applicable her theory is to actual nursing practice.
Patricia Benner’s clinical practice was based on a wide array of specialties which included medical-surgical, critical care and home health care nursing. She started out her career working as a registered nurse and moved on to focus much of her post graduate work on research. Benner applied the Dreyfus Model of Skill and Acquisition as a framework to her Novice to Expert approach to patient care. Patricia Benner has been greatly influenced by Virginia Henderson, recognizing that Virginia’s theory focused on the “how” of nursing while her own theory concentrated on how nurses learn to be nurses and how they progress in their practice, using clinical development in addition to clinical experience. Her framework suggests that nursing use an always moving forward practice to deliver patient care and that knowledge accrues overtime and through different experiences. She believes that there is a process that happens of “knowing that” while at the same time “knowing how” which enables nurses to transition from the novice to expert stage (Alligood & Tomey, 2010, p. 140)
During Patricia’s research she conducted interviews with new graduate nurses and nurses considered ...

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...man’s theory is open to interpretation it is used throughout the world as a multidisciplinary, holistic, and comprehensive guide for excellence in nursing practice, education, research, and administration. It is about what you learn in nursing education, input, and what you do with that information in clinical practice that is the output, while following the Neuman model. When examining Benner’s theory closely to become an expert nurse it focuses on nurses intuition or gut feelings, this can only be achieved through experience. Patricia Benner’s theory is vital within the hospital setting as it gives an outline to help guide nursing practice. Betty Neuman’s theory is needed in preparation of students in becoming nurses on the other hand Benner’s theory of skill acquisition validates actual practice. Both are necessary in providing quality and safe care to patients.

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