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Preparing preceptors with education and training

Nurse Leader Weekly, February 18, 2005

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With 12 years of staff development under her belt, Susan Boyer, MEd, RN, director of the Vermont Nurse Internship Project (VNIP)-an initiative of the Vermont Organization of Nurse Leaders-knows good and bad preceptor training when she sees it.

"The standard approach to preceptor development is what I like to call, 'just enough, just in time,' " says Boyer. She admits that standard preceptor education is important because it looks at the roles and responsibilities of the preceptor as an educator, socializer, and role model, but Boyer says it does not address the preceptor's role as safety administrator and competency validator.

VNIP is unique because its preceptor development not only looks at these two roles, but it also addresses the importance of teaching accountability to preceptors and preceptees. "Accountability is really crucial, and we have not given enough time and energy to it in the past," says Boyer. "When we have our preceptor workshops, the executive director from the state board of nursing speaks to the preceptors about the importance of delegation and accountability."

Another area that Boyer says is often ignored is the time it takes to educate. "Traditionally, preceptor programs expect the nurses to take care of their patients and teach the novice they're working with. This really is not effective with the realities of today's complex, high-tech patient assignments," says Boyer. That's why, in addition to classroom educating and training for preceptors, VNIP sets aside time specifically for precepting.

To prepare preceptors for their responsibilities, Boyer and her team host two-day interactive workshops that focus on adult-learning styles and what is typically part of preceptor training. In addition, they teach preceptors about various teaching and learning techniques, communication (e.g., personality styles and conflict management), interpersonal skills, and generational differences (e.g., Generation Xers are more technology savvy than others) and how to use such characteristics to their advantage when training, says Boyer.

Helpful tools for preceptors
The preceptor training program also uses streamlined tools to help preceptors navigate their new roles. For instance, 13 Vermont healthcare organizations currently use one standardized competency checklist for their new orientees, says Boyer. These checklists were designed by nursing leaders under the COPA (competency outcomes and performance assessment) model.

"Most orientation checklists are predominantly a grocery list of the tasks we do as nurses," says Boyer. However, these VNIP checklists are different because the skills that nurses are expected to perform are defined in "specific, measurable terms." The checklist is also quite thorough as it allows the preceptor and others to validate nurses' competency in the areas of critical thinking, leadership, management, ethics, and human-caring relationships, she says.

Source: Adapted from Competency Management Advisor (February 2005), published by HCPro, Inc.

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