NURS324

Rebecca Anchors, Niccole Colthorp,

Valrey Llewlaka, and Marcos Vergez

The purpose of this presentation is to define

the four nursing metaparadim concepts of
Person, Health, Environment and Nursing
according to the theory of Patricia Benner.
Additionally this presentation will demonstrate
how this nursing theory can be used for
evidence based practice and be used to
improve the contemporary health care
environment.

Evidence Based Practice (EBP): The use of research

findings as a basis for practice rather than trial and
error, intuition, or traditional methods, such as
problem solving (Black, 2014, p. 347).

How Nursing Theory Can be Used for EBP.

Evidence based practice is defined as an approach to the delivery

of health care that integrates the best evidence from research
studies and patient care data with clinician expertise and patient
preferences and values.
Clinicians and scholars recognize that practice was improved
when critical appraisal of the best evidence is the foundation for
practice.
Benners nursing theory can be used for evidence base practice by
linking nursing expertise and knowledge to clinical expertise.
Benners stages of nursing proficiency from novice to expert
practitioner, describes how a nurse gradually incorporates
situational and clinical awareness with patient needs while
applying evidence based practice seamlessly into everyday
practice.

Person: The nurse and person are not pre-defined,

but grows and develops as the nurse or person
learns through experience and knowledge (Masters,
2014, p. 55).
Environment: This helps influence the nurse and
person and can nurture and develop the skills or
have the opposite effect if the influence is negative
(Hill, 2010).
*Attribute voice over references to:
(Masters, 2014, p. 55) & ("Metaparadigm in Nursing", 2013)

Patricia Benner described person as a self-interpreting being,

that is the person does not come into the world predefined but
gets defined in the course of living a life.
Instead of using the term environment, Benner used the term
situation because it suggests a social environment with social
definition and meaning. She used the terms of being situated
and situated meaning which are defined by the persons engaged
interaction, interpretation, and understanding of the situation

Health: Wellness and health. The whole

experience as a person (Masters, 2014, p. 55).
Nursing: A caring relationship that includes the
care and study of the lived experience of health,
illness, and disease. (Masters, 2014, p. 55)

*Attribute voice over references to:

(Masters, 2014, p. 55) & ("Metaparadigm in Nursing", 2013)

Patricia Benner focused on the lived experience of being healthy

and ill. She defined health as what can be assessed, while wellbeing is the human experience of health or wholeness. Wellbeing and being ill are recognized as different ways of being in
the world. Health is described as not just the absence of disease
and illness. Also a person may have a disease and not experience
illness because illness is the human experience of loss or
dysfunction, where a disease is what can be assessed at the
physical level.
Patricia Benner described nursing as an enabling condition of
connection and concern which shows a high level of emotional
involvement in the nurse client relationship. She viewed nursing
practice as the care and study of the lived experience of health,
illness, and disease, and the relationships among these three
elements

Five Stages of Nursing Proficiency

Novice
Advanced Beginner
Competent Practitioner
Proficient Practitioner
Expert Practitioner
Patricia Benner introduced the concept that expert nurses develop
skills and understanding of patient care over time through a sound
educational base as well as a multitude of experiences.

Patricia Benner is a nursing theorist who published a book in 1984

called From Novice to Expert. She outlined the progression of
the professional nurse into five stages, from the Novice nurse,
who is guided by a rigid framework of rules, to the Advanced
Beginner, Competent, Proficient, and ultimately to the Expert
Practitioner who functions fluidly, understanding the needs of
patients automatically and interprets data seamlessly.
Moving from each stage is a progressive process that occurs with
time and experience.

Benner, P. E., Tanner, C. A., & Chesla, C. A. (2009). Expertise in nursing practice: caring,
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