Preceptor Practice

Abstract

In 2020, the Association for Nursing Professional Development commissioned a national preceptor practice analysis study using the Ulrich Precepting Model to identify the roles, knowledge, and activities essential to preceptor practice. In a survey of 3,623 preceptors, the model's seven preceptor roles and their associated domains of knowledge and practice were validated. Findings indicate that nursing professional development practitioners should provide preceptors with initial role preparation in addition to ongoing education. Nursing professional development (NPD) practitioners serve as partners for practice transitions supporting the "transition of nurses and other healthcare team members across learning and practice environments, roles, and professional stages" (Harper & Maloney, 2016, p. 17). Because preceptors are integral to successful transitions, NPD practitioners are responsible for ensuring that individuals are developed for this critical role (Schuelke & Barnason, 2017). Although preceptors are commonly used during transitions, little evidence exists to guide their development. The purpose of this study was to identify the roles and competencies essential to preceptor practice and to validate the seven roles of precepting delineated in the Ulrich Precepting Model (Ulrich, 2019). BACKGROUNDPreceptors are foundational to clinical learning and socialization of healthcare workers who are new to the practice, the organization, or setting. No universally agreed-upon definition of preceptorship or comprehensive operational description of the preceptor process exists in the literature (Ward & McComb, 2017). Ulrich (2019) defines a preceptor as "an individual with demonstrated competence in a specific area who serves as a teacher/coach, leader/influencer, facilitator, evaluator, socialization agent, protector, and role model to develop and validate the competencies of another individual" (p. 1). In nursing, preceptors help students with prelicensure clinical experiences, new nurses transitioning from academia into professional practice, and experienced nurses transitioning from one organization to another, one specialty to another, or one role to another. Precepting is "an organized, evidence-based, outcome-driven approach to ensuring competent practice" (Ulrich, 2019, p. 1).Empirical evidence supports the importance and benefits of preceptors in preparing new and experienced healthcare workers in their roles (

The Impact of Preceptor Education, Experience, and Preparation on the Role

“…As reported in our initial findings, we highly recommend booster education for preceptors after about 2 years of precepting experience (Harper et al, 2021). Boosters can provide additional content on the roles of protector, role model, and facilitator roles to bolster the preceptor's understanding and integration of these roles into practice ensuring preceptee success.…”

“…The initial study scale scores for the Ulrich preceptor model were obtained by summing responses to Likert scale questions for each of the seven preceptor roles, domains, and competencies and dividing by the number of valid responses (Harper et al, 2021). Then, the individual seven preceptor role scores were combined to create a composite score, referred to as the total preceptor index.…”

“…In 2020, an online survey of interdisciplinary healthcare preceptors (e.g., nurses, pharmacists, and physicians) who had precepted at least one individual during 2019 was conducted to validate the Ulrich preceptor model to determine the importance of the seven preceptor roles and their associated domains and competencies (Harper et al, 2021). Investigators used the model and evidence from the literature to construct the framework of the online survey.…”

Reimagining the Preceptor Role

“…Preceptors who have received formalized preceptor development report a better understanding of their role and responsibilities as preceptor 20. Despite the benefits of preceptor development, only 49% to 84% of nurse preceptors acknowledge receiving some type of preceptor training 15,21…”

The Association for Nursing Professional Development National Preceptor Practice Analysis Study: An Exploration of Precepting in Perioperative Settings

“…In 2020, 3,623 preceptors in the United States participated in the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD) Preceptor Practice Analysis Study 25 . The purpose of the study was “to identify the roles and competencies essential to preceptor practice” 25 (p154) and to use that information to validate the seven roles of preceptors described in the Ulrich Precepting Model 26,27 . Of the 3,066 participants who responded to questions on preparation for the precepting role, 2,581 (84.2%) reported having some preparation.…”