[Exploring the Entrustment Decision Experiences of Preceptors Regarding New Nurses' Independent Patient Care]

Within the framework of competency-based medical education, determining whether new nurses are capable of making patient care decisions independently is a critical issue in clinical nursing education. However, there is a lack of in-depth exploration of clinical preceptor experiences related to entrustment decision-making in this context.

This study was designed to explore the experiences of nursing preceptors in terms of developing the confidence necessary in new nurses to make independent clinical decisions during the preceptorship process.

A qualitative research design was employed. Using purposive sampling, eighteen nursing preceptors with experience mentoring new nurses were recruited. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted between August 2020 and July 2022. All of the interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using categorical-content analysis, and iterative discussions were conducted among research team members to ensure analytical rigor.

Five major themes were identified: (1) observation and verbal confirmation of independent care competence; (2) incorporating feedback from the healthcare team as supportive evidence for decision-making; (3) adjusting the frequency of supervision based on task characteristics; (4) granting apparent entrustment while maintaining indirect supervision; and (5) limited nursing competence in adapting to changing clinical situations.

Clinical preceptors' trust in new nurses is established through a gradual and dynamic entrustment decision-making process that integrates clinical observation, task-related risk assessment, and team feedback. The findings of this study may serve as a reference for the development of clinical teaching, supervision, and entrustment strategies in nursing education.