Patricia Benners Nursing Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Patricia Benners Nursing Theory - Essay Example This is an excellent perception in the field of nursing and draws on concepts from Nightingale as well which make it even more powerful. The main points of this research with regard to this theory will emphasize that patients deserve the best quality of care that can be given and nurses can only do this by drawing upon the knowledge and experiences that they have gained through clinical areas and on into areas of more pronounced nursing care from their past as well. All of these experiences help the nurse become better attuned to her nursing duties and more prepared to know what to do in times of great stress also. As the conclusion will point out, sharing this knowledge with other nurses and medical professionals is what strengthens the nursing care that patients are meant to receive. It helps the knowledge and acquired skills to grow, moving certain forms of nursing over from novice care givers to care givers who are full of excellence and continue to grow in order to provide even more improved supportive services to those who need it the most. Patricia Benner states "Knowledge development in a practice discipline consists of extending practical knowledge (know-how) through theory based scientific investigations and through the charting of the existent know how developed through clinical experience i... Benner's theory expects nursing to gradually improve the care we provide through academics and experience. She also believes that nursing only benefits if that knowledge learned is shared. Processes can only be improved with the knowledge of what is wrong. Clinicians and leaders should develop programs in their facility to allow for discussion of patient observation, mistakes and mishap to enhance the clinical judgment of the entire nursing staff. Following a strategic theorization such as Benner's emphasizes the power to minimize medical mistakes and errors resulting from misguided care, especially due to the fact that much of the knowledge is shared among the medical practicing team (American Nurses Association 2000). Such accidents are errors that could be avoided, which are considered to be sentinel events that stem from an unexpected occurrence involving death or serious physical or psychological injury, or the risk thereof due to lack of knowledge, experience, or even shared knowledge among the nursing staff (Ballard 2002). Benner's theory defines that the top recommendation for nursing leaders is to come to the forefront and recognize errors and near misses as learning tools to prevent future errors. The basic premise is that nurses do not go to work to harm patients, but the processes that are in place put everyone at a greater risk. This shows that this theory focuses heavily on patient safety and the concerns of the patient; as well it should since there are so many errors that take place in the medical environment in current day (Institute of Medicine 2000). For instance, in terms of lives lost, patient safety is as important an issue as worker safety. Every year, over 6,000 Americans di e from