Definition and Explanation of Selected Nursing Concept

CONCEPT ANALYSIS PAPER

Introduction When studying nursing theory, a concept is often seen as one of the building blocks that must be well understood. One scholarly reference goes as far as to say, “analysis and concept development are closely related to the evolution and enhancement of nursing knowledge” within the theory process (Bousso, Poles, & Cruz, 2014, p. 142). Competency is a particularly important concept. One particular nursing theory that describes this is Patricia Benner’s Novice to Expert: Stages of Clinical Competence nursing theory. Some would go as far to say that the idea of competency in nursing was created and is now solely defined using Benner’s theory. However, through an adequate definition and explanation of competency, a literature review, the defining attributes, discussion of antecedents and consequences, an understanding of empirical referents, clear construct cases, and theoretical applications of competency, a well-rounded understanding of competency in nursing can be fully understood. Definition and Explanation of Selected Nursing Concept Competency can be seen as one of the most fundamental and important aspects of the nursing profession as a whole. The National Council for State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) does an excellent job of defining competency stating it is the “application of knowledge and the interpersonal, decision-making, and psychomotor skills expected for the practice role, within the context of public health” (Scott-Tilley, 2017, p. 81). Within nursing, an individual is deemed competent based on a mix of higher education and clinical practice. Each level of education comes with a higher understood level of competency. The other half of competency is how the clinical nurse acts within the clinical setting. Competency is an extremely important concept to fully understand because over time a gap has developed between the educational nursing preparation and actual clinical bedside