Changing the trajectory of clinical precepting for nurse practitioner students with the development of a preceptor...

Preceptors of nurse practitioner students can be difficult to recruit and retain. Schools of nursing have deployed incentives that aim to support preceptors; however, these incentives, such as conferences, webinars, and workshops, do not always entice preceptors. The purpose of this project was to enhance the overall clinical experience for both the preceptor and the Doctor of Nursing Practice primary care nurse practitioner students through the development of an innovative preceptor resource network (PRN). The PRN was designed and developed to support preceptors in rural and/or underserved areas. The network consists of informal monthly meetings with rotating content as well as an online repository that houses resources. More than half of the invited preceptors attend the meetings each month. Preceptors' feedback indicated that the meetings assist them in their precepting and/or clinical practice, and the discussions were engaging and interesting. Schools of nursing need to deploy creative, relationship-based strategies to recruit and retain preceptors for nurse practitioner students. The development of a PRN, which facilitates discussions from a preceptor-driven agenda, rather than a top-down educational method, is an innovative approach that is worthy of further exploration and replication. The PRN is a sustainable model for preceptor support that could be used by universities across the United States and abroad.