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The Nursing Expertise Self- Report Scale and Reflection

HCS 350

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The Nursing Expertise Self-Report Scale and Reflection

The Nursing Expertise Self-Report Scale was developed from Patricia Benner’s model of clinical

competence described in Benner and Benner (1984). According to Patrica Benner’s model of From

Novice to Expert (Benner & Benner, 1984) there are three changes in performance as the nurse

progresses from novice to expert practice. One change is from the reliance on rules and principles to

the reliance on past experience to guide performance. The second change is a transition from viewing

the clinical situation as a collection of equally important features to viewing the clinical situation as a

collection of equally important features to viewing the clinical situation as a whole, in which only a few

features are important. The third change is the passage from the detached observer to involved

performer. Unique to the expert level of performance is the element of intuition. This scale is

designed to measure self-perception of these three transitions and intuitive decision making.

Personal Results

According to my personal results of the Nursing Expertise Self-Report Scale, my nursing level is

between the proficient and expert nurse. The proficient nurse possess the experience and

necessary skill sets to look at the patient as a whole, focusing on the critical pieces of information to

formulate an overall plan of care. In addition, the proficient nurse is able to delegate responsibilities to

those who have demonstrated an understanding in meeting the goals of the patient and team.

Lastly, with years of experience comes the natural feel of intuition. Having worked with many patients

in many different setting provides a wealth of information for the expert nurse to draw from. These

years of experience have become ingrained and the expert nurse is able to manage multiple levels of

employee skill sets, various communication techniques to reach each skill set and have ability to tie all

the information together to meet the needs of the patient, the team and the organization.

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Conclusion

Using this information and applying it to my daily communication skills will allow me to be a

more effective manager. It will enable me to communicate more effectively when delegating

responsibilities, while keeping the message consist across the various levels of nursing expertise.

Overall, this information will be used as a guide to further enhance my communication skills to help

establish and meet the expectations of the patient, team, and organization.

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References

Benner, P., & Benner, R. (1984). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing practice.

Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley.