Henderson and Benner’s Nursing Philosophies
Instructions:-
Compare the nursing philosophy of Benner and Henderson on the basis of the following criteria.
Main ideas of the theory
Main concepts
Relationships between concepts
How different concepts affect each other
Cite an example or case study from your field where both these philosophies find practical utility.
Solution
Henderson and Benner’s Nursing Philosophies
Benner’s Novice-Expert theory emphasizes how nurses gain information about the profession through experience. Such knowledge is obtained through practice as opposed to theoretically. Expert nurses have more information about the profession and can make individual decisions based on past experiences as opposed to novice nurses, who are fresh graduates and rely on the lessons learned in school, the various rules and guidance by more experienced nurses. However, Henderson’s theory focuses on patient care and how nurses should provide quality care and guidance that will assist the patients upon discharge. The theory contains 14 components that nurses should meet when caring for patients, all focusing on quality patient care (Currentnursing.com, 2012).
The four nursing concepts are the client, environment/situation, health, and nursing. The four concepts are related as they involve patient health, responsibilities of the nursing profession and the environment in which the patient exists. These concepts affect each other because the client needs professional care from the nurses to improve their health conditions or accept their current situation. The environment influences patient recovery and how they will take care of themselves upon discharge. It is, therefore, necessary for nurses to focus on these concepts to provide quality care to their patients.
An example where these two
philosophies find practical utility is through the roles of family nurse
practitioners (Britt, 2012). To be a successful FNP, one needs a lot of
experience allowing them to act a more defined nursing role. FNPs are therefore
experts in their field. Their primary responsibility is to provide quality care
to the patient, and they achieve this through meeting Henderson’s 14
components. FNPs are therefore experts in their field and ensure that patients
receive quality care that allows them independence upon discharge.
References
Britt, D. (2012). Family Nurse Practitioner’s Role in Primary Care. The Parenting Issue, (23).
Currentnursing.com. (2012). Introduction to nursing theories. [online] Available at: http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/introduction.html [Accessed 14 Feb. 2017].
