Rewarding staff nurse preceptors

Using clinical facility staff members to act as preceptors for senior students can provide multiple advantages; however, this process is labor intensive for staff nurses. The authors describe a survey of staff nurse and nurse manager perceptions of preceptor rewards. There were two statistically significant findings--a special dinner honoring the preceptors and a gift from the student. Anecdotal comments provided useful information. Namely, ongoing feedback between faculty and preceptor about the preceptor's effectiveness was seen as critical. Faculty consultation with unit projects, research, and continuing education programs provided by the faculty also were highly rated.