Development of an advanced practice preceptor evaluation tool.

Abstract

Preceptors are essential in advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) and physician assistant (PA) fellowships; however, no tools exist for fellows to evaluate their preceptor. The study's purpose was to examine the use of a modified preceptor evaluation tool (PET) in a new population APRNs and PAs who participated in a formalized postgraduate fellowship program. A qualitative study involving cognitive interviewing methods was used to evaluate original and modified items of the PET as a means to determine face validity. Over a period of 19 months, five different focus groups were conducted. Study participants completed an independent analysis of the tool prior to engaging in a focus group discussion. Further testing of new items was performed using the last two focus group cohorts and achieved data saturation. The sample included 23 fellows who had completed an acute, ambulatory, or primary care yearlong fellowship. More than half of the fellows ranged in age from <30 to 40 years. All original 19 items were retained, with the majority (79%) requiring slight modifications. Using feedback from fellows, 10 items were added to the final version, including two open-ended questions. The new items added a focus on preceptors' ability to foster domains of professional growth in the fellows' provider role. This newly developed tool with face validity provides a new mechanism for preceptor evaluation by APRN and PA fellows. Additional research is needed with larger groups of fellows as a means to establish the tool's psychometric properties.