A Novice's Echelon

Patricia Benner believes that nursing skills as experience is a prerequisite for becoming an expert and I believe in this same theory. As it applies to my present hospital setting here in Singapore, a nurse not only will provide quality care to his/her clients but accompanied by a step-up in the ladder of success as a nurse turns into an expert. In National University Hospital, we have the newly entered nurses as Assistant Nurse (Novice) or Staff Nurse II (Advance Beginner) who will undergo a general orientation and 6 months probationary period before confirming as a regular staff. As years of experience and skills progressed becomes a Staff Nurse I (Competent) who can train new staffs and assigned on more unit’s responsibilities. As being more effective SNI can be promoted to Senior Staff Nurse II-Staff Nurse I (Proficient) wherein they are capable of doing more tasks and can be a good leader and can assign task as well. As a nurse reaching his/her maximum efforts to do best on their skill and learning become an expert than can become a major leader and can share all combined knowledge and skills plus attitude to others becoming a Nurse Manager/Head Nurse, Nurse Clinicians/Nurse Educators, to a Nursing Supervisor / or ADON as Assistant Director in Nursing(Expert). Research, trainings, skills and learning guided by the human experiences (human becoming theory) gives light on meaning of we live and learn from day-to-day experience such as hope, taking chances/risks, grieving, suffering and time values.