Pat Benner’s Novice to Expert

Pat Benner’s Novice to Expert 1

Pat Benner came up with the concept that nurses develop skills and understanding of patient care over time through educational basis as well as a number of experiences. She developed the theory of the five stages of nursing experience; Novice, Advance Beginner, Competent, Proficient, and Expert. As we enter our clinical sites as student registered nurses we are considered novices. Novices are considered beginners with no experience. They are taught rules to help them perform task. With no practical experience they must base what they do on principals and rules. A novice has a limited ability to predict what might happen in a particular patient situation. Advance beginner is the next stage of the nursing experience; they are usually the new graduates. They have dealt with more real patient care experiences to recognize recurring components of the situation. Advance beginners are learning to separate normal and abnormal situations and establish priorities as to what is important. The third stage is competency. A competent nurse is one who has been working in the same setting for at least two to three years. They are more aware of long term goals. The competent nurse is better at developing plans based on “conscious, abstract, analytical thinking.” Some of the skills lacking of a proficient nurse is speed and flexibility.
Pat Benner’s Novice to Expert 2 Proficient nurse is the fourth stage of Pat Benner’s nursing experience stages. The proficient nurse knows what to expect in a given situation from previous experiences. They can recognize the important parts of a situation. The nurse is able to zero in on the problem with very little thought. Confidence is enhanced and the nurse becomes more involved with patients and families. The final stage