Number Of Preceptors Research Articles

Nursing preceptorship in Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria: Perceptions of nursing students and clinical preceptors.

Nursing preceptors play a vital role in providing skills-oriented opportunities for students in the clinical environment. This study assessed the perceptions of nursing students regarding the clinical learning experience provided by preceptors, and the perceptions of nursing preceptors regarding their roles in ensuring beneficial clinical accompaniment in the three nursing institutions in Ekiti State, Southwestern Nigeria. A concurrent mixed-methods design consisting of a survey and semi-structured interviews were used. A multistage (consecutive, purposive, and convenience) sampling technique was used to obtain quantitative data from 120 nursing students and qualitative data from 20 preceptors. Data were analyzed using descriptive and thematic content analysis. Findings showed that overall students' perceptions of the clinical learning experience were good (92%), 91.7% of the students wanted direct supervision and inadequate support was reported due to the low preceptor-to-student ratio. Preceptors acknowledged that clinical accompaniment is one of their roles, challenges mentioned include few number of preceptors, lack of policy requirements to guide their duties, and limited equipment. We conclude that there is a need to provide adequate preceptors in clinical settings, as they are vital to the training of nurses. A unified policy and standardized procedure manual will improve the quality of the delivery of preceptorships in training institutions.

Factors Associated with Quality and Adequacy of Medical Student Feedback on Core Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkships from the Student and Clerkship Director Perspective: Secondary Analyses of a Prospective Cohort Study

We sought to investigate factors associated with improved feedback quality during third-year obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) clerkships. This prospective cohort study assessed relationships of student and clerkship characteristics to the quantity and quality of feedback during OBGYN clerkships according to the clerkship director and third-year medical students. This study took place in a university-based hospital setting in which medical students rotate for 6 weeks on core clerkships during the third year of medical school. Third year medical students participating in core OBGYN clerkships during the 2018 to 2019 academic year. One hundred and ten students participated. Students with better clerkship scores reported higher quality of feedback, effectiveness of teaching, and quality of the clerkship overall, but did not receive a higher quantity or quality of feedback per the clerkship director. In multivariate modeling, the only factor affecting the clerkship director's rating of feedback adequacy was the number of preceptors who had given feedback. Factors associated with better student-reported feedback quality included midclerkship feedback adequacy and attendings and residents teaching procedures. Improved feedback for medical students on core OBGYN clerkships is associated with more preceptors offering feedback, midclerkship feedback adequacy, and preceptors teaching procedures.

Casey-Fink Graduate Experience Survey for Nurses and Preceptors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Background: Preceptors play an essential role in supporting new nurses during the transitional period in professional roles. Moreover, graduate nurses experience several challenges during their transitional role from students to professional nurses, despite the considerable relationship between nurses and preceptors.Purpose: The study aims to evaluate the relationship between the experiences of nurses using Casey-Fink Graduate Nurse Experience Survey and the number of preceptors in Saudi hospitals.Methods: A cross-sectional study design was adopted, and Casey-Fink Graduate Nurse Experience Survey was used to collect data from 84 newly graduated nurses. Descriptive and regression analysis was used for data analysis.Results: Results showed that there was no statistically significant relationship between the responses of 5 factors of the Casey-Fink Graduate experience survey and the number of preceptors. Based on the survey, (33.8%) had to stress whereas significant causes of stress were student loans (41.9%), personal relationships (13.5%), living situation (27%), and finances (10.8%).Conclusion: No statistically significant relationship was found between variables including; support, patient safety, communication/leadership, professional satisfaction, and job satisfaction. The significance of preceptorship programs should be considered by the primary health care corporation to support and prepare preceptors of newly graduated and recruited nurses.

Addressing preceptor shortages with a novel structure of blended ambulatory care rotations

IntroductionSchools of pharmacy are challenged to ensure sufficient full-time ambulatory care advance pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). University of Maryland designed an innovative solution to create additional rotations utilizing faculty with part-time ambulatory care practices, by combining two rotation blocks into a 10-week “blended” ambulatory care/community pharmacy experience. The objective of this study is to characterize perceptions and impact of this format on student and preceptor skills, performance, and overall satisfaction, compared with the traditional five-week ambulatory care rotation. MethodsAmbulatory care preceptors were surveyed regarding student skills in interviewing, documentation, patient assessment, building pharmacist-patient relationships, and mentorship opportunities. Students were surveyed regarding the number of preceptors and patient interactions/week, rotation hours, clinical abilities developed, patient relationships, patient population diversity, preceptor mentorship, clinical track participation, rotation expectations, professional benefit, career development, overall satisfaction, and likelihood to recommend the rotation. Chi-square test was used to evaluate statistically significant differences in cohort responses. ResultsSurvey responses from 74 students (49%) and 21 preceptors (46%) were included. Student perceptions were generally positive and comparable between groups. Statistically significant differences were observed between groups in students' perception of “patient diversity” and preceptors' perception of “patient-pharmacist relationship”. ConclusionThe 10-week blended format provides a unique and viable option that offers a solution to shortages of preceptor availability for ambulatory care APPEs by providing a rotation format that is more conducive to clinical practice faculty part-time ambulatory clinic schedules.

Experiences of supervision during clinical education among specialised nursing students in Sweden: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe importance of the clinical learning environment in nurse education has gained increasing attention over the last decades. However, there is a lack of research on the learning environment, its significance and meaning in specialist nurse education. ObjectiveThe objectives of the study were to investigate specialised nursing students' experiences of supervision during clinical practice and to compare students who were satisfied with the supervision with those who were dissatisfied with respect to a) organisation of supervision and number of preceptors, as well as time allocated by preceptors for b) supervision, c) reflection, d) discussion of intended learning outcomes, and e) assessments of students' performance by preceptors. DesignThis study used a cross-sectional design. Sample and settingsA convenience sample of specialised nursing students was derived from five Swedish universities in the years 2016 and 2017. MethodsData were collected using a questionnaire. Statistical analyses and a qualitative conventional content analysis were performed. ResultsWhile almost all specialised nursing students reported that there had been time for discussion on their performance assessment, almost half of the students reported not getting time for supervision, or time for reflections and discussions on intended learning outcomes with the preceptor. Students reporting having time allocated for supervision by preceptors were found to be more satisfied with supervision. It was described as important that the preceptor(s) acknowledged the students previous work experiences. Even though being a registered nurse, reflections and feedback were described as valuable for the students learning. Several preceptors were described as positive allowing a broader picture and different views regarding working as a specialist nurse. ConclusionsThis study indicates that supervision, in terms of discussions and reflections, of specialised nursing students is significant for learning experiences and satisfaction during clinical placement.

Ambulatory Care Training Within Postgraduate Year 2 Pediatric Pharmacy Residency Programs.

This study evaluates pediatric ambulatory care training opportunities for postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) pediatric pharmacy residents. An online survey was disseminated to PGY2 pediatric pharmacy residency directors. The questions involved the number and type of pediatric ambulatory care rotations offered; number of preceptors who practice in pediatric ambulatory care; whether or not a pediatric ambulatory care rotation is a requirement of the program; length and format of the rotations; amount of time residents spend in the pediatric ambulatory care setting; and the resident's role during pediatric ambulatory care rotations. The survey yielded an 85% response rate (n = 41/48). Most residency programs offer at least 1 pediatric ambulatory care rotation (n = 38; 93%), most of which are longitudinal experiences, and two thirds of programs require their resident(s) to complete a pediatric ambulatory care rotation (n = 27; 66%). These experiences involve a variety of specialty clinics, and residents assume diverse roles and responsibilities. Few programs offer residents the opportunity to practice under a collaborative drug therapy management agreement (n = 6; 15%) or develop new clinical services (n = 6; 15%). Most residency program directors (n = 39; 95%) reported that less than 25% of their residency graduates work in the pediatric ambulatory care setting. Ambulatory care experiences in PGY2 pediatric pharmacy residency programs are diverse in number and scope. There is an opportunity to expand pediatric ambulatory care rotation offerings, particularly with respect to collaborative drug therapy management and the establishment of new clinical services.

Grading trends and evaluation of student performance across advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE) in the Big Ten Academic Alliance (The GRAPPES study)

IntroductionWith over a third of the doctor of pharmacy curriculum relying on experiential education (EE), it is critical that students are assessed and graded in accordance with their actual performance. The objective of this paper is to review advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) grading across the Big Ten Academic Alliance to describe how APPE grading occurs at these institutions and highlight differences in approach and outcomes. MethodsExperiential directors/deans were asked to import de-identified data (e.g., APPE curriculum, midpoint and final evaluation score and grade, number of preceptors, number of students, number of years of pharmacy school, total hours of APPEs offered, number and duration of APPEs per year, grading scale information). A chi-square test including pairwise comparisons with a Bonferroni p-value adjustment for multiple comparisons was performed. ResultsSeven college/schools submitted data from over 3600 students between 2012–2015. The distribution of letter grades differed significantly across all colleges/schools in 2012–2013, 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 (p < 0.0001). Similarly, the distribution of letter grades by rotation type varied significantly for all colleges/schools (p < 0.0001). Students in acute care, ambulatory care, and other patient care rotation types were less likely to obtain an “A” and more likely to obtain a “B” compared to students in other rotation types. ConclusionsWhen letter grades are used for APPEs, the trend suggests over 95% of students receive an “A” or “B” grade. Final grades varied by rotation type with more “B” grades observed in patient care rotations than “A” grades over the three-year period.

New Graduate Registered Nurses Experiences in the Acute Care Setting

Focused question: Does enrollment in a new nursing graduate transition program with an assigned preceptor improve new nursing graduate transition experiences in the acute care settings and assist the new nursing graduate with handling negative environments? Purpose Fink, Krugman, Casey and Goode (2008) stated that the transition of graduate nurses from an educational program into the professional practice setting has been a long-standing issue and is widely recognized as a period of high stress, role adjustment and reality shock. Many hospitals are choosing to cut or highly consolidate any type of new graduate transition program due to budget cuts and the current state of healthcare finances. Delaney (2003) defined the term transition to practice as the period of time when a new graduate nurse undergoes a process of learning and adjustment in order to acquire the skills, knowledge, and values required to become a functioning member of the healthcare team. Further investigation and research related to new graduate transition to practice is imperative to the healthcare profession. It is of importance to determine the impact of new graduate transition programs on enhancing new graduate nurse’s experiences so that educational institutions can assist in further educating nursing students on what to expect upon entering the acute care setting. The healthcare facilities can further benefit in having a better understanding of what tools are needed to assist new graduates with their transition to practice; whether that be access to preceptors, mentors and/or lateral staff in addition to tools to deal with the current healthcare environment. Casey, Fink, Krugman, Propst (2004) stated that graduate nurses have become a significant part of hospital recruitment as staffing issues become greater related to the nursing shortage. Casey, et al (2004) stated that new graduate nurse turnover in the United States ranges from 55-61% within the first two years of employment. This turnover is of great expense to healthcare organizations when it is estimated to cost over 33,000 dollars to orient a new nurse, not including the amount of money it will cost to find a replacement for the lost new graduates and then their orientation to the facility and assigned work area. The researcher plans to evaluate new nursing graduates who are or have been enrolled in a new nursing graduate transition program as well as evaluate new nursing graduates who did not have a transition program to assist them with their transition to practice. The purpose of the survey is to evaluate the new nursing graduate’s experiences transitioning from academia to real-world nursing in an acute care facility. Methodology The study will be a quantitative non-experimental comparative study to determine the impact of a new graduate transition program on enhancing new nursing graduates’ experiences in acute care settings. The population will be new graduate nurses less than two years of employment. The study will contrast the two groups of new graduates related to their exposure or lack of exposure to a new graduate transition program and how their new graduate experiences are potentially affected. The sample size will be limited to the new nursing graduates (ADN, BSN, ABSN) with less than two years of employment at acute care facilities in North Carolina. The researcher will be administering the Casey Fink New Nursing Graduate Survey Tool in paper and pencil format to new nursing graduates from ADN, BSN and Accelerated BSN programs with 24 months or less work experience as an RN. Objectives The Case Fink New Nursing Graduate Survey Tool will allow the researcher to evaluate enrollment in a New Nursing Graduate Program, length of program/orientation to a new role, assignment of a preceptor, number of preceptors, and availability of preceptor. New nursing graduate retention, employment satisfaction, perceived anxiety and stress, identification of key areas of stress, clinical skill performance, performance of RN role and responsibilities, perceived exposure to negative environments, perceived satisfaction and dissatisfaction with current RN employment, level of support, previous healthcare experience, and current work pattern will also be explored.

Clinical Track Program Expansion Increases Rotation Capacity for Experiential Program

Objective. To evaluate the rotation capacity at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and see if the implementation of clinical track programs across the state correlates to an increase in rotation capacity for the school. Methods. The following information was collected: number of preceptors over the years in the school's experiential learning program, number of clinical track programs from 2012 to 2015, rotation type, availability submissions per rotation type per year, and availability submissions per hospital participant in the clinical track program per year. The rotation capacity and rotation types from 2012 to 2015 academic years were assessed and compared to see if there was any impact on the clinical track programs implemented. Results. There was no statistically significant difference in the frequency distribution of rotation types among all sites from 2012 through 2015 academic years. However, there was a statistically significant difference in the total number/capacity of rotations from 2012 to 2015 academic years. There were also statistically significant differences in the rotation capacity in all sites except for three sites. Conclusion. Adding clinical track programs can help increase the capacity of a school's clinical rotations.

Strategies to grow an experiential learning program—The role of administrators

With the newly released ACPE standards, challenges exist in growing experiential learning programs at many schools. The role of administrators in the experiential learning office, practice department, and the dean׳s office is critical for success. This article provides practical tips and strategies to help grow an experiential learning program by emphasizing the role of administrators. In 2012, the administrators of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy brainstormed and came up with a list of challenges faced by its experiential learning program, provided suggested solutions to each challenge, and began a process of implementing solutions to help grow the program. As of fall 2014, we were able to document increases in the numbers of preceptors and different rotation types, growth in the clinical track program, changes in our learning management system to better accommodate our needs, and increases in satisfaction rates among our preceptors, sites, and students. This article summarizes the challenges faced by University of Maryland Experiential Learning Program, the practical solutions implemented, and the role of leadership in growing the program. Many of the suggestions and lessons learned here can benefit many programs with similar challenges.

Administrative relationships between medical schools and community preceptors.

To determine the current administrative relationships between medical schools and community preceptors, with special emphasis on arrangements for academic appointment, review, and promotion. In 1999, administrative contacts at all 126 U.S. allopathic medical schools were mailed a ten-item questionnaire to elicit information concerning the current practices of the schools regarding community preceptors, who were defined as volunteer or part-time physician faculty, primarily practicing at non-university-owned facilities, who contribute to medical students' and/or residents' education in various specified ways. Responses were received from 71 (56%) of the schools; they were in general a representative sample of U.S. medical schools. The numbers of preceptors per school ranged from 40 to 3,500. Sixty-seven percent of reporting schools identified clinical departments as the main administrative interface with preceptors. Only three schools used a central office; none exclusively used a regionalized system. Forty-four schools (63.8%) reported using formal written criteria for all preceptor appointments. Sixty-six schools (93%) used consistent academic titling systems, with 83.3% using titles including the word "clinical." Thirty-three schools (47.8%) reported that their departments conducted regular preceptor reviews; an additional 28 reported reviews by some departments. Preceptors were eligible for promotion at 94.4% of the responding schools. At 46.8%, specific promotion criteria exist; four schools were developing such criteria. Preceptors' interest in academic promotion was perceived to be moderate or low. A substantial proportion of U.S. medical schools have taken action to recognize preceptors as a unique faculty group. The comments received indicate that this is an active area of development in faculty affairs policy.

Incentives and Rewards Motivating Community Pharmacists to Become Preceptors

ABSTRACTChanges in the curricula of numerous schools of pharmacy have a tremendous impact on the number of preceptors that will be required in the community setting. The results of this study indicate that motivational factors and expectations regarding mechanisms of recognition of current and potential preceptors are similar. Preceptors and community pharmacists agreed that the following factors were motivating them or would motivate them to become preceptors: keeping one's knowledge up-to-date, contributing to the profession, die satisfaction from contributing to the clinical training of students, and enjoyment of teaching. This information could be used by schools of pharmacy to develop specific strategies to enhance recruitment activities to optimize community pharmacists' involvement in preceptorship.

Site accommodations and preceptor behaviors valued by 3rd‐year students in ambulatory internal medicine clerkships

Background: Successful ambulatory education requires teaching skills adapted to the dynamic, fast‐paced office setting. Purpose: In this study, we used student evaluations to identify site accommodations and preceptor behaviors that facilitate learning. Methods: From 1993 to 1995, 189 of 207 (91%) 3rd‐year students in a 1‐month ambulatory medicine clerkship completed evaluations. A content analysis was performed to identify valued features of clinical sites and valued preceptor behaviors. Findings were validated during 1995 and 1996 when 83 of 92 (90%) students ranked previously derived items and graded each as essential or nonessential. Results: The 6 most frequently cited features of clinical sites were the opportunity to evaluate patients, effective teachers, a large number and variety of patients, a small number of preceptors (fewer than 4), and an orientation. The 6 most frequently cited preceptor behaviors were delegation of responsibility for patients, timely feedback, approachability, enthusiasm for teaching, instruction in physical examination, and asking for the student's ideas on diagnosis and management. Correlation coefficients for ranks in the derivation and validation studies were .56 for site characteristics and .42 for preceptor behaviors. Conclusions: An analysis of evaluations identified site accommodations and preceptor behaviors that students value. A validation effort clarified the relative value students assign to these items.