Enhancement of Professional Development of Front-Line Nurse Preceptors in a Dedicated Education Unit

Dedicated education units (DEUs) have been well established throughout the country as a means of developing clinical skills in nursing students. In a DEU, maintaining an adequate number of well-prepared clinical nurse preceptors is essential for unit sustainability and effective student perception.

This study was a quasi-experimental design using self-reported survey data. A comparison analysis was conducted using the initial results of the Revised Professional Practice Environment (RPPE) survey (i.e., pre-participation and no orientation) after completion of an orientation program and participation as preceptor in a DEU.

Front-line nurses who participated as preceptors for one semester in a DEU demonstrated statistically significant improvement in two of the eight components of professional practice measured by the RPPE.

This study lends support to the notion that preceptors do experience improvement in professional practice as a result of participation in a DEU. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2017;48(1):40-46.