Preceptorship: Bridging the Theory Practice Gap and Enhancing Transition of New Graduates

Abstract

A constructive clinical learning is essential for the development of nursing students’ clinical competence and confidence which is reflective of a professional nurse. The capacity of new graduates to adjust to the clinical role is chiefly dependent on the quality of clinical experiences they have had in their undergraduate program. Preceptorship has been consistently acknowledged as a strategy to maximize the benefits of clinical nursing education in terms of knowledge and skill acquisition, confidence and professional socialization.1 This paper overview the advantages of preceptorship model of clinical teaching which facilitate actual patient care with theoretical applications, as well as nursing students’ transition to a professional nurses’ role. Preceptorship is a complimentary clinical teaching model to bridge theory practice gap and to enhance the transition of novice graduates.