Nursing Preceptorship - Research Paper Example

? NURSING PRECEPTOSHIP RESEARCH ANALYSIS Developed countries all around the world are facing shortage of registered nurses. The increase demand in health care services, fewer no. of nursing professors and the aging population of the nursing workforce, is a cause of shortage. To deal with this arising, issue Public Health Department (PDH) collaborated with faculty of Health Science to develop a preceptor ship model called Team Preceptorship Model (TPM), which enabled the students to learn clinical experiences in a public health setting. Preceptorship is defined as a one to one relationship between a registered nurse and a nursing student whose purpose is to introduce a student to a clinical environment and orient them to the intense experience of learning in a practical mode. Preceptors introduce orientees to gain nursing skills, patient dealing, protocols and unit culture of nursing. This program enables them to learn and become competent enough to demonstrate basic unit skills by the end of the course. Students recently graduated from nursing school face difficulties when it comes to implementation part. They are pushed into a situation where one needs time and observation to implement the acquired knowledge. The main cause of the under stress nurses was found to be , lack of confidence in learnt skills, incomplete in critical thinking and clinical knowledge, correlation with patients and preceptors, dependence, frustrating work environment. Thus preceptors are essential to role model the professional attitude and skills which enable the orientees to learn and grasp them practically. This researched discovered how quickly orientees learn to implement clinical knowledge and nursing skills through preceptor orientation learning programs. The significance of preceptorship during nursing school is accepted and has been a part of nursing training program. Collaborative preceptor models between nursing school and service agencies have sustained a positive relationship and facilitated the nursing students to learn to integrate skills with real-life situations. This model provides a single nursing student to be precepted by a registered nurse whereas in the integrated clinical preceptor model, students plan their clinical experiences and preceptor acts as a mentor, clinical teacher, role model. It revealed the positive outcomes in the complex and dynamic world of acute health care. (Sandau & Halm, 2010) The importance of nurse prespectors in educating undergraduate nurses cannot be overstated. The guide and teach new nurses, the roles and responsibilities they have to face in a clinical setting. Thus the transition becomes easy for the undergraduates from the educational institutes to professionalism. It also facilitates the specialization in any nursing faculty. As a frame work for clinical teaching, these preceptors demonstrate professional practice and share patient care experience. The awareness of handling patient’s condition and providing care accordingly, which they will encounter is shown to them. Theoretical information is thus put into practice with the help of prespectors. It is a responsibility of nurse prespector to form a connection between theory and practical implementation for an orientee, in a patient care environment. Thus achieving the expected results in a given time frame utilizing the facilities in hand is the main objective. This program holds utmost significance for mentor, orientee and the organization itself. Preceptor ship program offers professional nurturance and development in social and professional roles, which reduces the reality shock faced by new nurses in a clinical setting. Orientees feel les stresses as the preceptors gear them into right direction through experience thus learning takes place with constant monitoring and under constant guidance. Therefore the confidence level of such nurses’ rise due to participation in preceptorship program and their knowledge expands due to experienced preceptors who steer them into right direction. It enabled the preceptor and orientee to mature and thus show competency in their field. Orientees are exposed to the everyday practices and the frustrations faced in nursing field. Evaluation of this model showed the benefits students and faculty members enjoy such as increased quality time of teaching and learning by clinical expert. However, there are some draw backs of this system fewer students got preceptor’s support and the preceptor was unable to meet patients’ demands as they were assigned according to orientees’s needs in the unit. Some students felt lack of control over experienced situations and more assertive in answering the learning outcomes to the preceptors. Insensitivity towards students is also faced by few. A nursing student, who underwent through the preceptorship program, acts more sensibly and without stress in trying situations. Studies reviewed show that stress continues for new nurses even who attended orientation programs. Thus the critical thinking is affected and slows the process of professional learning. With regard to this increase in independence does not occur until the first full orientation year. NGN’s identified that it takes at least 12 months to feel comfortable and confident to practice for new nurses and enables them to feel a sense of belonging. This timeframe can be extended far beyond the typical several week orientation provided by hospitals. Thus assets as orientation facilitators and preceptors should offer ongoing support throughout the first year. Conscious and evidence-based involvement that involve preceptors, are essential in orientation of nurses in difficult and energetic world of health care. (Cooper & Lemonde., 2011) Preceptorship program not only enables new graduate nurses to be familiar of the expectations but also allows them to learn to survive in a critical situation. Like assessing the charts of patients carefully making a complete assessment, not relying on others to do the full job. Inserting IV can be a difficult job for new graduate nurses preceptors show the right way to do to them often guiding them the movements they should take. One of the foremost trait a good preceptor should have, is a way to involve new comers in such a way that they feel important. Nurses often share tacit or informal knowledge this type of sharing is often important for experiential learning. It enables a new nurse to utilize this piece of knowledge into useful practice. Accepting the role of preceptor in a clinical environment makes a new graduate nurse introspective and opens the door of successful learning. Academically new nurses are not aware of work pressure and physical exhaustion included into the package by being a part of it; somehow they get familiar of the job demands before getting into it. It also shows the consequences of slow and tardy decisions or actions beforehand. Social skills enhance as the demand of the profession asks for openness and considerate manners towards patients. The timings can be downright depressing and tedious, through preceptor training program one learns the art of time management and inter- professional skills. Preceptoship Program, with its flaws and drawbacks still sustain a subsequent position in training the new graduate nurses or orientees successfully. It not only increases the moral and confidence in a new environment but also supersedes the fears of new comers. Increase in satisfaction from nurses and health care departments are evident. These changes not only helped new nurses but also the preceptors who became the cause of improvement in the whole health care unit. This highlights the strengths, flaws and implementation of Preceptorship program in clinical practice. It is an innovative program to teach a large group of students in a health department, which after evaluation suggests with the consent of continuation. Bibliography: Sandau, K. E., & Halm, M. A. (March 01, 2010). Preceptor-Based Orientation Programs: Effective for Nurses and Organizations?. American Journal of Critical Care, 19, 2, 184-188. http://ajcc.aacnjournals.org/content/19/2/184.full Cooper, B. A., & Lemonde, M. (January 01, 2011). Team preceptorship model: a solution for students' clinical experience. Isrn Nursing, 2011. http://www.isrn.com/journals/nursing/2011/530357/ Read More