Patricia Sawyer Benner (born on August 31, 1942) is a nursing theorist, academic and author.
She is known for one of her books, From Novice to Expert: Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing Practice (1984).
Benner described the stages of learning and skill acquisition across the careers of nurses, applying the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition to nursing practice.
Benner is a professor emerita at the University of California, San Francisco UCSF School of Nursing.