Get the most from your preceptorship program

Carefully designed, systematically implemented, and comprehensively evaluated clinical preceptorship programs can expand and enhance the educational experience of baccalaureate nursing students. In addition, such programs can increase the satisfaction and vitalize the teaching and leadership roles of staff nurse preceptors. Such programs may attract faculty and new graduates to a particular practice setting, as well as attract staff to a particular academic program for further education. In an era of increased professional accountability and demands for cost containment, collaboration between academic programs and practice settings can ensure more efficient and effective use of resources to ease the transition of new nurses from the world of education to the world of clinical practice.