Which framework outlines the stage progression from Novice to Expert in nursing practice?

• A. Benner's 5 stages
• B. Dreyfus model
• C. Maslow's hierarchy
• D. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

Answer: (A)

Benner's model maps how nurses grow from a novice to an expert through five stages, and it’s specifically used to describe nursing practice. It outlines a progression from novice, who relies on rules and guidelines, to advanced beginner, who starts to notice meaningful aspects of patient care; then to competent, who can plan and organize care with more efficiency; then to proficient, who sees situations more holistically and uses intuition; and finally to expert, who has deep tacit knowledge and can respond with highly skilled, flexible judgment. This framework is widely used to guide nursing education, mentorship, and assessment of clinical competence because it directly addresses how expert performance develops in real nursing practice.

The other options don’t fit as neatly for this purpose. The Dreyfus model is a general skill-development framework, and Benner adapted it specifically for nursing. Maslow's hierarchy concerns human needs and motivation, not how clinical expertise progresses. Gibbs' Reflective Cycle describes a process for reflecting on practice, not a progression of competence.