Theory Application: Novice to Expert Patricia Benner’s theory of novice to expert illustrates a nurse’s growth professionally and educationally. First, Benner made a distinction between practical knowledge and theoretical knowledge. Practical knowledge, according to Benner, is “knowing-how,” which is the developed knowledge base and skill acquisition of a nurse (Alligood & Tomey, 2010, p. 139-40). It is during this phase that nurses apply knowledge or skills to their practice, but may not understand why. Theoretical knowledge is the “knowing that” component that builds off practical knowledge. Knowing that allows a nurse to understand their actions fully and how they apply theoretically to their nursing practice. By better understanding practical
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It is often the case that theories include the nurse and the patient, but Benner’s theory excludes patients entirely. Her entire theory is uniquely applicable to nurses and their professional development. As a result, Benner’s theory is limited to clinical practice, nurse education and nurse educational research. Furthermore, Alligood and Tomey (2010) state Benner’s theory “has a potential for universal application as a framework, but the descriptions are limited by dependence on the actual clinical nursing situations from which they must be derived” (p. …show more content…
The study specifically focused on the novice and expert nurse, and compared how they each would treat the same pressure sores. To do this, the researchers determined each nurse’s basic knowledge of wound care and then asked each nurse to decide on treatment plans for three pressure sores shown to them on a photograph. The novice and expert nurse’s decision were then compared to that of an expert panel. The results of the study revealed expert nurses made significantly more accurate decisions than the novice nurses. Expert nurses were able to make better treatment decision because they focused on certain types of information more often than novice nurses. The information included the patient’s mobility, nutritional status and the amount exudate from the wound. The study ultimately determined that specific education in wound care will greatly improve a nurse’s accuracy in the treatment of pressure
It is often the case that theories include the nurse and the patient, but Benner’s theory excludes patients entirely. Her entire theory is uniquely applicable to nurses and their professional development. As a result, Benner’s theory is limited to clinical practice, nurse education and nurse educational research. Furthermore, Alligood and Tomey (2010) state Benner’s theory “has a potential for universal application as a framework, but the descriptions are limited by dependence on the actual clinical nursing situations from which they must be derived” (p. …show more content…
The study specifically focused on the novice and expert nurse, and compared how they each would treat the same pressure sores. To do this, the researchers determined each nurse’s basic knowledge of wound care and then asked each nurse to decide on treatment plans for three pressure sores shown to them on a photograph. The novice and expert nurse’s decision were then compared to that of an expert panel. The results of the study revealed expert nurses made significantly more accurate decisions than the novice nurses. Expert nurses were able to make better treatment decision because they focused on certain types of information more often than novice nurses. The information included the patient’s mobility, nutritional status and the amount exudate from the wound. The study ultimately determined that specific education in wound care will greatly improve a nurse’s accuracy in the treatment of pressure