Time, trust and reflection: Three aspects of precepting in clinical nursing education

摘要

This Guest Editorial focuses on time, trust and reflection, three key concepts necessary to discuss in relation to clinical nursing education. The presentation was held at NETNEP 4th International Nurse Education Conference in Baltimore, USA 17-20 June 2012. Globally, the health care sector faces major challenges in terms of an increasing aging population, declining financial resources and a decreasing workforce of doctors, nurses and midwives. At the same time, nurse education has undergone major changes during the last three decades, internationally as well as nationally. It is therefore reasonable to assume that a rapidly changing world needs registered nurses with somewhat new and different competencies who will be ready to battle these challenges now and in the future. This implies that undergraduate nursing education needs to address issues like life long learning, evidence based practice and research utilization. To become independent professionals, able to plan, perform and evaluate nursing care, student nurses need to learn how to reflect upon practice. Clinical education, where registered nurses precept students and hence prepare them for their future profession seems to be a significant part for this process to occur. So, what do we mean when we talk about precepting in relation to nursing education and clinical placements? First, there is a need to define what is meant by the term preceptor. Yonge et al. (2007) point to how preceptor is a term that appears to be used synonymously with supervisor and mentor, and conclude by suggesting that a preceptor is the registered nurse responsible for teaching including reflection, feed-back, evaluation and assessment during clinical practice in undergraduate nursing education. This is still a most concise and valid definition, easily recognizable among educators, nurses and student nurses world wide. Second, we need to reach an understanding of precepting as an educational process for which preceptors need pedagogical competence.