From Novice to Expert: Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing Practice, Commemorative Edition

by Patricia Benner

For undergraduate/graduate-level courses in Nursing Issues, Nursing Theory, Nursing Ethics and Nursing Service. This presentation of clinical judgement, caring practices, and collaborative practice provides ideas and images that students can draw upon in their interactions with others and in their interpretation of what nurses do. It includes many clear, colourful examples and describes the five stages of skill acquisition, the nature of clinical judgement and experiential learning and the seven major domains of nursing practice. The narrative method captures content and contextual issues that are often missed by formal models of nursing knowledge.

Genres: Nursing, Nonfiction, Health

336 pages, Paperback

First published October 20, 1984

Reviews

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for any discipline. Although a nursing book, my former military pilot boyfriend read it as well and thought this was a great book for his new pilots. This book helped the novice pilots grasp the concepts of newness as well as the mentors that really understood a little better as to how they would progress to expert pilots.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those landmark books in nursing research that everyone continues to reference or refer to. It's actually really good. She applies the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition to the field of nursing to better understand what nurses do and what makes them good at what they do.

There are five stages of the Dreyfus Model:
- Novice
- Advanced Beginner
- Competent
- Proficient
- Expert

Benner's contribution is describing what these stages look like in actual nurses. She organizes this by looking at domains of nursing practice, such as Teaching-Coaching or Administering Interventions/Medications, which are further broken up into individual competencies, such as creating a climate of healing and building rapport with patients. This process itself is no small feat, as Benner has attempted to describe what it is that nurses actually do.

Some may point out that the book is dated, originally published in the 1980s, and that nursing is very different nowadays. Others might think the book is bent toward hospital or acute-care nursing and does not really address the myriads of other nurses out there, such as those in schools, public health, or education.

Such criticisms actually have a point.

But. We can't be chronological snobs, and many aspects of the book are relevant. The Dreyfus Model was originally developed from studying chess players and pilots, and it remains applicable to a broad range of vocations and specialties. Really, it remains a good book and an important contribution to the field of nursing in general.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to the nursing process. Although it was required reading, I am glad I read it.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastically inspiring book about nursing.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

From Novice to Expert was better than expected but it still reads like the textbook that it is. The beginning of the book is absolutely deadly dull. If it hadn't been required reading, I would not have finished it. The advice given is solid but the presentation feels overly sunny especially given the changes that the pandemic has wrought across medicine and to nursing in particular. It's not a book I would recommend for the average reader unless you need help falling asleep.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confession: I probably started this like 3 years ago and finally finished it today. My graduate school nursing dean recommended it years ago when I told her I wanted to go into teaching nursing. It was mostly boring and felt quite antiquated, but some of the patient stories were somewhat interesting.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definite focus on nursing, but I appreciated the definition of the spectrum of skill/expertise in a complex field that can't rely on mere clinical knowledge for success. I think the spectrum would benefit from acknowledging not only experience as a driver of expertise, but also the reflective practices from the Schon text.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my teachers at college record this book to me. If you're a nurse, a nursing student or are in any way interested in Nursing you should read it. It's not an academic book. There are different anecdotes based on real patients and real nurses. As a nursing student it has help me to know what to execute from patients and different ways of nursing diagnoses. If you aren't interest in that field of nursing, you will be drag in the patients' story and medical history. You'll want to know if they make it and what will happen to them at the hospital.

[Ryan Frantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The exemplars in this book are compelling because they provide insight into the messy details of normal, every day work in nursing. Further, it's impossible to read these accounts and not be connected, in-the-room, with both nurse and patient. There is power and learning in these stories from experienced nurses whose profession requires both skill and caring to help them navigate the complexity of their roles. I took away so many ideas that are easily transferrable to other work.

[Angharad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly a book I wanted to read and I didn't read it cover to cover.It was very useful in my third year reflective essay for nursing though. So I do recommend it. Its short and rather easy to scan through to find the pertinent information.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all nursing students and new nurses.