The effectiveness of a preceptorship model in postgraduate education for rural nurses

This retrospective study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a preceptor program in meeting the needs of first-year graduate nurses employed in a large rural hospital. In particular, this project aimed to assess whether the program leads to improvement in the clinical skills of the graduate over the 12-month period of the program; the suitability of the program to meet the graduates' needs; and the perceptions of nursing unit managers, preceptors and enrolled nurses regarding the program. Questionnaires were designed and distributed to the above categories of nurses, as well as graduates. Results indicated that the graduates considered the program to be excellent and that it met their needs to a high degree, while the clinical nurses rated the program between adequate and good. The paper will define the strengths and limitations of the program and the effect on recruitment and retention of nurses in a rural area.