Why the Role of the Preceptor is Important in the Orientation of Newly Hired Graduates

Type:Discussion Board

Subject:Nursing Discussion Post

Subject area: Nursing

Education Level: Maters Program

Length: 6  pages

Referencing style: APA

Preferred English: US English

Spacing Option: Double

Title: Discussion#4  for NURS 7706

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Nurses make numerous transitions in their career life. For instance, they make the transition to new graduate nurses to experienced nurses from student nurses. Experienced nurses also face transitions in their career life, including shifting to a new organization, a new specialist role, or both.  Thus, organizations use structure orientation programs to ease the transition process. Most of these programs use preceptors to smoothen new graduate nurses’ transition to the nursing profession. Preceptors play a vital role in enhancing retention and effective orientation of the new graduate nurses. These professionals (preceptors) also ensure that experienced nurses transition successfully in their new specialty areas or organization. Preceptors assist both experienced and new nurses’ transition into their new roles.

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Difficulties that Characterize the Transitioning Process

Transitioning to a new graduate nurse and experienced registered nurse from a nursing student is long-lasting and challenging. According to Schmitt & Schiffman(2019), it takes approximately one year for a new graduate nurse to feel self-assured and relaxed working in the acute care setting. The stressful and lengthy transitioning process results in poor retention rates among new nurses. New graduate nurses often cite unreasonable workloads, uncivil work settings, advanced and unfamiliar medical technology, high patient acuities, and poor working relationships as their reasons for attrition (Schmitt & Schiffman, 2019). High attrition rates are costly for a healthcare organization in terms of care quality, healthcare expenditure, loss of human resources, and patient safety.  Therefore, structured programs are necessary to retain new nurses in the profession.

Schmitt & Schiffman (2019) note that about 25% of new nurses’ drop out of their profession within a year resulting in undermined health outcomes and patient safety. The author estimates the cost of replacing one registered nurse to be US$10,098 to US$ 88,000.  Accordingly, new nurses undermine patient safety if not effectively oriented. According to the National Council State Boards of Nursing, 40% of new graduate nurses make medication errors (Schmitt & Schiffman, 2019). Therefore, a well-organized transition to practice program employing preceptors can ease the transition process and enhance retention rates.

Role of the Preceptor is Important in the Orientation of Newly Hired Graduates as well as Experienced Staff

Preceptors promote professional development, lifelong learning, and a multidisciplinary approach to care delivery for experienced staff. They foster inclusion and personal relationship, and acceptance into the existing company’s social network.  Accordingly, preceptors as teachers enhance nurses’ confidence and socialization, creates an environment that promotes clinical skills acquisition, enhances their organization skills and knowledge, and improves their communication to promote clinical efficiency (Powers, Herron, & Pagel, 2019). As a clinician, preceptors also reduce lateral violence that undermines care delivery and promotes an environment that supports questioning, exploring, and learning minus fear of being reprimanded (Foley, Myrick & Yonge, 2013). Accordingly, preceptors provide nurses with a platform to succeed in their careers through information sharing, staff development opportunities, increasing job satisfaction, and addressing workplace stress (Shinners, Mallory, & Franqueiro, 2013). 

Additionally, preceptors enhance the conflict management skills of nurses, establish leadership opportunities, facilitate teamwork, and promote professional autonomy. Thus, preceptors play a vital role in promoting nurses’ retention, enhancing communication and collaboration in healthcare, and boosting nurses’ confidence and knowledge, professional competency, job satisfaction, and patient satisfaction.

 Preceptors also play a vital role in new nurses’ transition into the nursing profession. Preceptors help bridge the gap between practice and academia, socialize new graduate nurses into the nursing role, and help them become part of their department’s team and culture (Powers, Herron, & Pagel, 2019). As counselors, preceptors build new graduate nurses’ confidence, reduce their anxiety, and help them become independent. New nurses value preceptors teaching and knowledge because they provide support and guidance in the acute care setting.

New graduate nurses require structured supervision during their transition process.  The preceptor’s role as a teacher and clinician during this process is to ensure that new nurses uphold patient safety while gaining clinical experience and knowledge (Sanford & Tipton, 2016). Preceptors help new nurses learn unit-specific and hospital procedures and policies, documentation systems, and equipment use. Preceptors as teachers assist new graduates in performing psychomotor skills, design and implement plans, socialize them to the healthcare team and unit’s culture, and progressively assume full client assignment (Powers, Herron, & Pagel, 2019). Preceptors use appropriate teaching strategies and support to address the transition shock and enable novice nurses to practice safety.

Preceptors’ role in clinical care setting is somewhat challenging because new graduate nurses lack previous education about providing critical care. Thus, for new nurses, care plans, equipment use, psychomotor skills, guidelines, and policies will represent new experiences and knowledge. Also, new nurses lack experience tending to unstable patients. Accordingly, nurses in critical care settings are often compelled to adjust their care plans depending on acuity changes. Thus, new nurses are taught by preceptors the importance of collaborating with other healthcare workers to offer complex care. Accordingly, nurse preceptors help novice nurses develop clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills.

Why the Fit between the Preceptor and Preceptee Is Important

Preceptorships and preceptors have been an integral part of the nursing profession. Preceptors teach new nurses across the community and acute care practices. Through their experience and knowledge, preceptors provide experienced staff with a safety net to provide insight and answer questions (Sanford & Tipton, 2016). Therefore, a good preceptor should develop a caring relationship with the preceptee; have a deep sense of responsibility and mutual respect. Thus, the preceptee-preceptor relationship is vital in enhancing successful orientation. An excellent relationship provides the preceptee with actions and resources that enhance their success in the nursing profession (Sanford & Tipton, 2016). Additionally, a good relationship boosts the preceptee confidence and morale and makes them feel part of the organization. A preceptor and preceptee fit are important because it inspires and guides novice nurses while introducing preceptors to concepts they may not have thought about. A fit between the preceptor and preceptee is important because it helps new graduate nurses settle into the nursing profession. A good fit makes the preceptorship experience rewarding for preceptees and preceptors. For instance, a good fit ensures that preceptees remain in their profession while preceptor enjoys their role, leading to enhanced job satisfaction.

Conclusion

The preceptor plays a vital role in enhancing experienced and new graduate nurses’ transition into their work environment. Preceptors work closely with new graduates to enhance their clinical reasoning and clinical thinking skills. Additionally, they help novice nurses develop confidence, psychomotor skills, and gain the skills and knowledge required to provide effective and safe care in critical care settings. Preceptors also introduce new nurses to organization procedures and policies to make them feel part of the organization or department’s culture. For experienced nurses, preceptors provide them leadership opportunities, lifelong learning, professional development opportunities, and address issues in the workplace environment that undermine performance. A good fit between the preceptor and preceptee is vital to enhance successful transition and preceptors’ satisfaction with their job.

References

Foley, V. Myrick, F., & Yonge, O. (2013). Intergenerational conflict in nursing preceptorship. Nurse Education Today, 33(9), 1003-1007. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2012.07.019

Powers, K., Herron, E. K., & Pagel, J. (2019). Nurse preceptor role in new graduate nurses' transition to practice. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 38(3), 131-136. doi: 10.1097/DCC.0000000000000354

Sanford, P. G., & Tipton, P. H. (2016, July). Is nursing preceptor behavior changed by attending a preceptor class?. Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 29(3), 277-279. doi: 10.1080/08998280.2016.11929434

Schmitt, C. A., & Schiffman, R. (2019). Perceived needs and coping resources of newly hired nurses. SAGE open medicine, 7, 1-9. doi: 10.1177/2050312119833216

Shinners, J., Mallory, C., & Franqueiro, T. (2013). Preceptorship today: Moving toward excellence. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing,44(11), 482-483. doi:10.3928/00220124-20131025-91