Do student preceptorships affect moral reasoning?

The author examines the effects of a senior preceptorship course on the moral reasoning of senior nursing students. The findings suggest a broadening gap between education and practice resulting from changes in the health care industry, more specifically, in the acute care facility and a compromise of professional role enactment in the hospital. The author suggests we reconsider the following questions: Is the patient still the first priority in nursing? Is the hospital setting an appropriate placement for nursing students?