The role of the clinical preceptor in enhancing nursing education at a nursing college

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The profession of nursing is a twofold vocation that has a scientific theory as thefoundation of all nursing intervention or skill.Despite clinical preceptorship being a useful strategy of teaching, many traininghospitals and clinical facilities are without this avenue of learning and whereavailable, it is often not optimally utilised.The aim of this study was to explore the role of the clinical preceptor in enhancingnursing education at Edendale Hospital and Edendale campus of a nursing college.A mixed method approach was applied utilizing both qualitative and quantitativemethods to collect information about the experiences and challenges as well asclarify existing problems.Samples were drawn from all stakeholders of nursing education i.e. nursingstudents, nurse educators and ward managers of Edendale Hospital and Campususing random and purposive sampling respectively. Data were collected using selfadministeredquestionnaires for students and nursing managers and an interviewguide for focus group interviews for nurse educators. Ethical approval was soughtfrom the Health Research Ethics Committee at the Faculty of Medicine and HealthSciences at Stellenbosch University, the Department of Health, the Kwazulu-NatalCollege of Nursing and Edendale Hospital and Campus.The findings of this study support Weidenbach's Prescriptive Theory in which theauthor maintains that nursing is a practice discipline designed to produce explicitdesired results which here refers to the enhancing of nursing education with thecontribution of clinical preceptorship. Patricia Benner's Dreyfus and novice to expertmodels were used to express the need for meaningful practical experience in nursingstudents and to shows nurse educators how to identify the practical learning needsof the students and assist them acquire competence.The results of the study suggest that the clinical preceptor is a mentor and a guidewho facilitates the correlation of theory and practice in nursing education. The resultsalso suggest that students are experiencing problems in clinical practice and thatclinical preceptorship is needed. A number of recommendations are made based onlimitations identified in the present teaching-learning process. One of therecommendations is that partnership building strategies be fostered between thehospital, the campus and the Faculty of Nursing Education. This team approachcould clearly define the role of the clinical preceptor to ensure optimum nursingeducation. Further research is recommended.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University