Abstract
The healthcare workforce is a complex entity that provides ongoing challenges for the preparation of professionals. This chapter examines the preparation of undergraduate student nurses to become functioning registered nurses through their experiences in practice settings. The concept of preceptorship is explored as a premise to examining workplace learning for nursing. The worth and qualities of preceptorship are discussed in the context of a 3-year Australian study that followed the journeys of novice and experienced nurses in their preparation to either become a nurse or engage in being a preceptor. The intricacies of workplace learning in relation to individuals’ dispositions, the level of engagement with available learning opportunities, and the receptiveness of the workplace to the novice are posited as the bases for a learning practice supported through a partnership model of learning. Pedagogical strategies are considered that can enhance the contributions of both the academic institution and healthcare organisation in realising the potential of both novice and practitioner in professional learning.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ausubel, D. P. (2000). The acquisition and retention of knowledge: A cognitive view. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Billett, S. (2001). Learning in the workplace: Strategies for effective practice. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.
Billett, S. (2006). Constituting the workplace curriculum. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 38(1), 31–48.
Billett, S., & Newton, J. M. (2010). Learning practice: Conceptualising professional lifelong learning for the healthcare sector. In N. Frost, M. Zukas, H. Bradbury, & S. Kilminister, (Eds.), Beyond reflective practice: New approaches to professional lifelong learning (pp. 52–65). London: Routledge.
Boud, D., Cohen, R., & Walker, D. (1993). Using experience for learning. Bristol: The Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press.
Boychuk Duchscher, J. E., & Cowin, L. (2004). Multigenerational nurses in the workplace. Journal of Nursing Administration, 34(11), 493–501.
Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Education Researcher, 18(1), 32–42.
Charleston, R., & Happell, B. (2006). Recognising and reconciling differences: Mental health nurses and nursing students’ perceptions of the preceptorship relationship. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 24(2), 38–43.
Clausing, S. L., Kurtz, D. L., Prendeville, J., & Walt, J. L. (2003). Generational diversity – the Nexters. AORN Journal, 78(3), 373–379.
Curtis, J., Bowen, I., & Reid, A. (2007). You have no credibility: Nursing students’ experiences of horizontal violence. Nurse Education in Practice, 7(3), 156–163.
Dalton, L., Baker, P., & Walker, J. (2004). Rural general practitioner preceptors – how can effective undergraduate teaching be supported or improved? [Electronic Version]. Rural and Remote Health, 4. Retrieved July 28, 2008, from http://www.rrh.org.au/publishedarticles/article_print_335.pdf
Darcy Associates. (2009). Best practice clinical learning environments within health service for undergraduate and early-graduate learners. Melbourne: Department of Human Services.
De Bellis, A., Longson, D., Glover, P., & Hutton, A. (2001). The enculturation of our nursing graduates. Contemporary Nurse, 11(1), 84–94.
Dibert, C., & Goldenberg, D. (1995). Preceptors’ perceptions of benefits, rewards, supports and commitment to the preceptor role. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 21(6), 1144–1151.
Egan, T., & Jaye, C. (2009). Communities of clinical practice: The social organisation of clinical learning. Health, 13(1), 107–125.
Eraut, M. (2004). Informal learning in the workplace. Studies in Continuing Education, 26(2), 247–273.
Firtko, A., Stewart, R., & Knox, N. (2005). Understanding mentoring and preceptorship: Clarifying the quagmire. Contemporary Nurse, 19(1–2), 32–40.
Gizara, S. S., & Forrest, L. (2004). Supervisors’ experiences of trainee impairment and incompetence at APA-accredited internship sites. Professional Psychology – Research and Practice, 35(2), 131–140.
Hall, T., & Strangman, N. (2002). Graphic organizers. Retrieved October 25, 2007, from http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_go.html
Henderson, A., Winch, S., & Heel, A. (2006). Partner, learn, progress: A conceptual model for continuous clinical education. Nurse Education Today, 26(2), 104–109.
Kaviani, N., & Stillwell, Y. (2000). An evaluative study of clinical preceptorship. Nurse Education Today, 20(3), 218–226.
Lavoie-Tremblay, M., O’Brien-Pallas, L., Gelinas, C., Desforges, N., & Marchionni, C. (2008). Addressing the turnover issue among new nurses from a generational viewpoint. Journal of Nursing Management, 16(6), 724–733.
Levett-Jones, T., & Lathlean, J. (2008). Belongingness: A prerequisite for nursing students’ clinical learning. Nurse Education in Practice, 8(2), 103–111.
Levett-Jones, T., Lathlean, J., Maguire, J., & McMillan, M. (2007). Belongingness: A critique of the concept and implications for nursing education. Nurse Education Today, 27(3), 210–218.
Lockwood-Rayermann, S. (2003). Preceptors, leadership style, and the student practicum experience. Nurse Educator, 28(6), 247–249.
Maclellan, D. L., & Lordly, D. (2008). The socialization of dietetic students: Influence of the preceptor role. Journal of Allied Health, 37(2), 81E–92E.
Martin, C. A. (2004). Bridging the generation gap(s). Nursing, 34(12), 62–63.
Martin, T., & Happell, B. (2001). Undergraduate nursing students’ views of mental health nursing in the forensic environment. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 10(2), 116–125.
McMeeken, J., Grant, R., Webb, G., Krause, K. L., & Garnett, R. (2008). Australian physiotherapy student intake is increasing and attrition remains lower than the university average: A demographic study. Australian Journal of Physiotherapy, 54(1), 65–71.
Newton, J. M., Billett, S., & Ockerby, C. (2009). Journeying through clinical placements: An examination of six student cases. Nurse Education Today, 29, 630–634.
Pickens, J. M., & Fargotstein, B. P. (2006). Preceptorship: A shared journey between practice and education. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 44(2), 31–36.
Rushworth, L., & Happell, B. (2000). ‘Psychiatric nursing was great, but I want to be a “real” nurse’: Is psychiatric nursing a realistic choice for nursing students?. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 9(3), 128–137.
Schofield, D. J., Page, S. L., Lyle, D. M., & Walker, T. J. (2006). Ageing of the baby boomer generation: How demographic change will impact on city and rural GP and nursing workforce. Rural and Remote Health, 6(4), 1–9.
Shannon, S. J., Walker-Jeffreys, M., Newbury, J. W., Cayetano, T., Brown, K., & Petkov, J. (2006). Rural clinician opinion on being a preceptor [Electronic Version]. Rural and Remote Health, 6. Retrieved July 28, 2008, from http://www.rrh.org.au/publishedarticles/article_print_490.pdf
Sheumack, M., Turner, C., Brooks, P., & Moloney, B. (2008). Review of the nursing workforce in Australia (Vols. 1 and 2). Melbourne: The Australian Health Workforce Institute (AHWI).
Spouse, J. (2001). Bridging theory and practice in the supervisory relationship: A sociocultural perspective. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 33(4), 512–522.
Swearingen, S., & Liberman, A. (2004). Nursing generations: An expanded look at the emergence of conflict and its resolution. Health Care Manager, 23(1), 54–64.
Twentyman, M., Eaton, E., & Henderson, A. (2006). Enhancing support for nursing students in the clinical setting. Nursing Times, 102(14), 35–37.
Walker, R., Cooke, M., & McAllister, M. (2008). The meaningful experiences of being a Registered Nurse (RN) Buddy. Nurse Education Today, 28(6), 760–767.
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Yonge, O., Krahn, H., Trojan, L., Reid, D., & Haase, M. (2002). Being a preceptor is stressful!. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 18(1), 22–27.
Yonge, O., & Myrick, F. (2004). Preceptorship and the preparatory process for undergraduate nursing students and their preceptors. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 20(6), 294–297.
Zilembo, M., & Monterosso, L. (2008). Nursing students’ perceptions of desirable leadership qualities in nurse preceptors: A descriptive survey. Contemporary Nurse, 27(2), 194–206.
Acknowledgements
The author wishes to acknowledge the support provided by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Newton, J.M., Billett, S., Jolly, B., Ockerby, C. (2011). Preparing Nurses and Engaging Preceptors. In: Billett, S., Henderson, A. (eds) Developing Learning Professionals. Professional and Practice-based Learning, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3937-8_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3937-8_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-3936-1
Online ISBN: 978-90-481-3937-8
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)