Development and Psychometric Evaluation of a Theory-Based Preceptorship Survey for Nurse Practitioners

Background/Objectives: Preceptorship is a key aspect of clinical education for healthcare professions, including nurse practitioners (NP). Numerous studies have explored barriers and facilitators to preceptorship; however, few have used a theory-based, psychometrically sound instrument. The aim of this study was to develop and validate an instrument predicting nurse practitioner preceptorship based on the Integrated Behavioral Model (IBM). Methods: This was an instrument validation study with a longitudinal design. A pool of 82 statements that reflected constructs of the IBM was developed from the existing literature and unpublished studies. Items were evaluated for clarity and construct validity by 20 faculty members and NPs. Further refinement after administration to a small sample of NPs yielded a 60-item Likert-type survey that was sent to NPs in 20 states. A total of 154 NPs repeated the survey after 2-4 weeks to evaluate test-retest reliability. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were used to establish subscales and assess internal consistency, convergent, and discriminant validity. Results: 35 items were retained in the final survey. We identified 10 subscales reflecting constructs in the IBM. All subscales had adequate internal consistency and discriminant validity. One subscale had inadequate convergent validity and test-retest reliability, while another subscale had inadequate content validity. Conclusions: The resultant Predicting Preceptorship Survey is theory-based and psychometrically sound. There is no subscale for one IBM construct, "salience." This instrument could be used in studies of engagement in preceptorship in order to identify focus areas for interventions to increase the availability of preceptors, and to evaluate the outcomes of those interventions. Future research should include longitudinal studies of preceptorship and validation of the instrument with other professions, in other countries, and in other cultures.