Benner’s Theory

Introduction

Benner’s theory of nursing knowledge acquisition impresses a lot. For me, nurses can learn the theory, but for an individual to become a great nurse, one needs experience. Most of the established nurses in various healthcare institutions learned their trade through mentorships. Nurses should always concentrate on how they end up being nurses. Increase in the number of patients, reduction in the number of days for hospitalization and an increase in proliferation of healthcare technology calls for only expert nurses (Benner, 2016). Most of the ideas in Benner’s theory are borrowed from the Drefuse model of skill acquisition. In the health profession there should not be an end to knowledge acquisition, rather the experiences a nurse’ faces from day to day should play a great role in cementing his/her experience.

The five process illustrated from the Benner’s theory seems to explain real processes which are relatable and can be applied in practice. The stage of competence emphasizes on the ability of the nurse to be self-efficient, coordinated and has self-confidence on his/her actions while the expert stage emphasizes on the ability of a nurse to have a grasp of the situation and zeroes down to the right diagnosis without wasteful consideration on other unfruitful considerations. As much as theory is of great help in terms of knowledge, also experience weighs a lot for one to be a successful nurse. Education of staff, therefore, in this case, is an ongoing process that should never cease.