A preceptor program for nurses' clinical orientation

Preceptorship: the progression from student to staff nurse

Preceptorship assists the development from learner to accountable staff nurse. Time has to be available for preceptorship to be successful. The learning objectives need to be relevant for the individual preceptee. Preceptors require considerable support for their role. Preceptees had difficulty adjusting to being staff nurses and experienced high levels of stress. Most progress was observed after a three month period, when ability and confidence levels had increased and stress levels decreased.

Stress at work and mental health status among female hospital workers

Relations between working conditions and mental health status of female hospital workers were studied in a sample of 1505 women: 43% were nurses, 32% auxiliaries, and 7% ancillary staff; 13% were other qualified health care staff, mainly head nurses; 5% had occupations other than direct health care; 63% worked on the morning, 20% on the afternoon, and 17% on the night shift. Data were collected at the annual routine medical visit by the occupational health practitioner, using self administered questionnaires and clinical assessments. Five health indicators were considered: a high score to the general health questionnaire (GHQ); fatigue; sleep impairment; use of antidepressants, sleeping pills, or sedatives; and diagnosis of psychiatric morbidity at clinical assessment. Four indices of stress at work were defined: job stress, mental load, insufficiency in internal training and discussion, and strain caused by schedule. The analysis was conducted by multiple logistic regression, controlling for type of occupation, shift, number of years of work in hospital, daily travel time to work, age, marital status, number of children, and wish to move house. Sleep impairment was mostly linked to shift and strain due to schedule. For all other indicators of mental health impairment and especially high GHQ scores, the adjusted odds ratios increased significantly with the levels of job stress, mental load, and strain due to schedule. This evidence of association between work involving an excessive cumulation of stress factors and mental wellbeing should be considered in interventions aimed at improving the working conditions of hospital workers.

Baccalaureate Nursing Student Preceptorship Programs and the Development of Clinical Competence

Clinical competence is germane to professional nursing practice. One goal of nursing student preceptorship programs is to develop the student's level of clinical competence beyond that of traditional baccalaureate education. This study investigated the effect of nursing student preceptorship programs on the development of clinical competence among 72 senior BSN students. Results indicated that students who participated in summer preceptorship programs gained greater levels of clinical competence, than did students who worked as nursing assistants in noninstructional clinical settings. Both groups perceived their summer work experiences as valuable in helping them to develop skills in problem solving, application of theory to practice, and psychomotor skill performance. They also reported an increased level of self-confidence in a nursing role. Study findings provide baseline data for decision making for nursing faculty and administrators.

The concept and practice of preceptorship in contemporary nursing: a review of pertinent literature

The authors review 21 articles on preceptor programs in schools of nursing and service settings. They provide comparative details of various aspects of preceptor programs but particularly emphasize, first, the ways in which preceptors are trained and secondly, the content of preceptor training programs. The purpose of the review is to help administrators set up preceptor programs in their own localities.