A clinical teaching technique for nurse preceptors: the five minute preceptor

Although preceptorship is the leading approach to the clinical education of senior undergraduate nursing students in the westernized world, few specific nursing preceptor-focused clinical teaching techniques are reported in the literature. One promising preceptor-specific teaching strategy is the Five Step "Microskills" Model of Clinical Teaching (J.O. Neher, K.C. Gordon, B. Meyer, & N. Stevens, 1992). This technique, also known as the One Minute Preceptor (OMP; J.O. Neher & N. Stevens, 2003), has been used for more than 15 years in clinical medical education. In this article, we trace the origins of the OMP and describe an adaptation to nursing education, referred to as the Five Minute Preceptor (5MP). The 5MP steps are the following: (1) get the student to take a stand, (2) probe for supporting evidence, (3) teach general rules, (4) reinforce the positives, and (5) correct errors or misinterpretations. In addition, we explore the relationship between the 5MP and experiential learning and provide a detailed example of the 5MP's use in undergraduate clinical nursing education. Recommendations are provided for the development of a 5MP educational package and the evaluation of the 5MP's use in baccalaureate nursing programs.