NR501 Week 4: Importance of Nursing Theory Worksheet(Solution)

Wilmer Jabiguero Roca March 22, 2020 Importance of Nursing Theory Worksheet • Identify a nursing theorist and their nursing theory. Answer: I have identified and chosen Patricia Brenner and her novice to expert theory. • Why did I choose my selected nursing theory? Answer: I chose the novice to expert theory because I have been utilizing the theory in my work as a nurse manager as I observe and monitor the progress of the nursing staff that I have hired within the past two years, and it also aligns with the nurse educator track that I am pursuing right now here at Chamberlain College of Nursing. • Summary of the novice to expert theory. Answer: (Miller, Vivona, & Roth, 2017) observed that healthcare organizations depend on experienced clinical nurses to train and mentor students who have graduated from nursing school and/or to assist nurses who are transitioning from another unit or other places of employment. They also further identified novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient and expert as the five levels of nursing experience (Miller et al., 2017). Patricia Brenner’s novice to expert theory dwells on the premise that as novice nurses learn and gain clinical and personal experience over a period of time, they will eventually achieve nursing skills and a deeper knowledge and appreciation of how to take care of their patients holistically on their journey towards being an expert in their chosen field of nursing. • How does the selected nursing theory address or identify the concepts of the nursing metaparadigm? Answer: A) Person – Patricia Brenner believes that for nurses to reach an expert status by growing continuously through knowledge and skills in providing quality holistic care to their patients, they must gain experience starting from the hospital orientation under the guidance of good and experienced nursing educators and preceptors. In relation to Patricia Brenner’s theory, the person concept here is the nurse who is the caregiver, the patient who is the recipient of care and the preceptor or nurse educator who is tasked in educating and training the novice nurse to become skillful and expert. B) Environment – This refers to the surroundings which includes the geographical location where the nurse practices her/his skills. The environment may have a direct influence on how the nurse will turn out to be at the end of her orientation and probation status. The environment is not limited to the work and patient areas. The nurse’s interaction with her preceptor, coworkers, patients and their family all play a part on the professional growth of the novice nurse within that environment. C) Health – This refers to the well-being state of the nurse as she performs her/his duties towards learning and applying new skills to her patients. The mental and emotional wellbeing of a nurse is very important especially during her orientation because she will have to accept the reality that she will be held accountable for any negative outcomes as a result of her actions. The nurse will have to learn how to handle stress and accept it as part of the job. Unable to handle stress and meet work expectations will cause a person to get sick and lose confidence which poses a huge barrier towards his or her growth and progress. D) Nursing – This refers to the delivery of optimal care to the patient by a professional nurse in an environment that is safe and conducive for healing. This is where all the knowledge, skills, interpersonal and interdepartmental communication are exercised as the novice nurse carries out her duties and responsibilities in order to achieve the best possible outcome for her patients. • How is this nursing theory useful to the nursing profession? Answer: Patricia Brenner’s theory is highly important in the current issue of national nursing shortage due to the increase number of aging workforce of nurses who will be retiring soon coupled with a growing unhealthy population resulting from unhealthy diet, sedentary lifestyle, emergence of new diseases and other socio-economic factors affecting their health. With the current national pandemic crisis brought upon by the coronavirus, the novice to expert theory will be applied as we decide as to who are prepared emotionally, physically, mentally and professionally qualified and ready to take care of patients that are positive of the Covid19. Her theory will assist nursing leadership in guiding, educating and training the new nurses as they navigate their way from being novice to expert by providing a means of assessing their progress and competency. • How would I apply this nursing theory to my chosen MSN specialty (Educator)? Answer: The path of a novice nurse towards being an expert does indeed start during the first day of orientation in his/her new job. However, that journey does not end after the orientation period and nor does it stop after the probationary period. Thisjourney continuesthroughout the staff’s professional nursing career. This is where the nurse educator’s role plays a big part towards that nurse’s professional growth and development. Nurse educators can make learning fun and educational that will help a novice nurse boost her confidence. By coordinating with the nurse managers, the educators can formulate a skills checklist that will identify areas wherein nurses perform less and create educational opportunities that will improve their performance outcome. The support of the nurse educators and preceptors can make or break a novice nurse towards achieving her professional goals. • Self-reflection: What did I learn from completing this assignment? Answer: In my years of working as a staff nurse and in various nursing leadership roles, I have witnessed novice nurses who cried after succumbing to the pressure and stress of their work demands. I have spoken to some nurses who either transferred to another department or eventually quit their job only after a few months of working. Applying Patricia Brenner’s novice to expert theory can be beneficial by using it as a guide in my passion to educate, teach and train new nurses to develop their self-confidence and to help them apply that confidence to their workplace as they care for their patients. I have never thought of the importance of the nursing theory contributions to a staff nurse until recently