Preceptorship: facilitating student nurse education in the Republic of Ireland

Nursing is a practice-based discipline and clinical practice is considered to be an integral part of nurse education. The pivotal role that preceptors play in the socialization, teaching and assessing of student nurses, is vital in helping students to integrate theory with practice. However, some evidence suggests that there can be minimal contact between the stakeholders involved in the students' education process, namely the university lecturers and preceptors. The focus of this article is on exploring the literature on models of support for student nurses with particular emphasis on the concept of preceptorship.