"From Novice to Expert"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how Patricia Benner's work "From Novice to Expert" fundamentally shifts the paradigm of nursing education from its current focus on conveying practical knowledge to the need to create nurses who are good decision-makers. It looks at how she creates a progressive typology of mastering the profession of nursing and how she provides a pedagogical map for nursing educators, mentors, and even administrators as to how to set expectations for levels of nursing competence.

From the Paper:

"Benner structures her book around her definitions of nursing confidence and competence, from novice to expert. Mastery at the highest level is defined by not by possessing technical knowledge, but on the ability to independently adapt nursing knowledge to different situations. The novice nurse, for example, is almost entirely rule-bound. No matter how well-educated he or she may be there is a strong level of dependence upon supervisors to define the rules. The novice often does not know how to contextualize his or her behavior. Without reference to life experience, for example, a nurse may not know when to put his or her knowledge in layperson's terms, so as to not frighten a patient with confusing terminology (Benner 20). "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Benner, P. (1984). From novice to expert: Excellence and power in clinical nursing practice. Menlo Park: Addison-Wesley.

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