"New graduate nurse residency programs' primary function is to provide new graduates with clinical experience and bridge the gap between student and competent registered nurse (Walsh, 2018). While the focus of these programs is on teaching new graduates, a gap in practice has been identified when it comes to the education of the nurses that are training these new graduates. The purpose of this program evaluation was to increase preceptor feelings of preparedness for the precepting role, as well as increase preceptor education attendance rates to at least 50% of eligible nurses. This was a program evaluation with a pre-/post-test design that evaluated the impact of preceptor education in 10 registered nurses. Participants submitted surveys to evaluate their feelings of support and preparedness for their educator roles before and after the educational presentation. There was a statistically significant increase in post-education scores (M=11.2, SD=2.15) when compared to pre-education scores (M=6.6, SD=2.8); t(9) = -5.81, p=0.00025597. Furthermore, 100% of respondents had a higher total score on the post-survey than the pre-survey with a mean difference of +4.6 points +/-2.5 (SD), indicating that they felt more supported and prepared to act as preceptors after the education. By offering a preceptor education curriculum that is easily accessible, organizations will see increased attendance rates and therefore higher feelings of support and preparedness from nurse preceptors. These preceptors will then be able to teach and empower new RNs on their journey to practice, offering a smoother and safer transition to professional independence, and decreasing burnout rates and turnover costs to the healthcare organization (Trepanier et al., 2012)"--Abstract.
The Future of Nursing explores how nurses' roles, responsibilities, and education should change significantly to meet the increased demand for care that will be created by health care reform and to advance improvements in America's increasingly complex health system. At more than 3 million in number, nurses make up the single largest segment of the health care work force. They also spend the greatest amount of time in delivering patient care as a profession. Nurses therefore have valuable insights and unique abilities to contribute as partners with other health care professionals in improving the quality and safety of care as envisioned in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enacted this year. Nurses should be fully engaged with other health professionals and assume leadership roles in redesigning care in the United States. To ensure its members are well-prepared, the profession should institute residency training for nurses, increase the percentage of nurses who attain a bachelor's degree to 80 percent by 2020, and double the number who pursue doctorates. Furthermore, regulatory and institutional obstacles-including limits on nurses' scope of practice-should be removed so that the health system can reap the full benefit of nurses' training, skills, and knowledge in patient care. In this book, the Institute of Medicine makes recommendations for an action-oriented blueprint for the future of nursing.
In acute care settings that hire new graduate nurses of different educational backgrounds, does having a new graduate transition or residency program versus a traditional preceptorship create better prepared nurses and increase the retention rate within the first year of nursing? Research shows the initiation of new graduate programs help transition the new graduates from a novice and new nurse to a competent and confident nurse by the end of their first year of nursing by addressing their specific needs and by offering support (Philips, Kenny, Esterman, and Smith, 2014). Memorial Hospital currently does not have a new graduate residency and could highly benefit from implementing a new graduate residency program. The programs entails a specific and structured orientation with a manager approved preceptor, monthly meetings with the group of new graduates and the clinical educator, and self-evaluations for the new graduates to see their transition and improve their confidence month to month. Similar such programs improve retention of new graduate nurses and improve the employee satisfaction (Squires, 2002). By improving the retention rate the organization can also save money that would be lost by training an employee and then having them quit soon thereafter. The estimated cost of the program for twenty five new graduates including their preceptors is around $111,600, and with the average cost of training a new graduate nurse being
The purpose of this curriculum project was to redesign an existing nurse residency program based on important elements identified in nursing research in order to (a) improve the readiness for practice of new nurse graduates in the current healthcare environment by embracing the transition to practice recommendations of the NCSBN; (b) increase confidence and competence in new nurse graduates by incorporating learning opportunities for practical skill development and (c) reduce stress and improve job satisfaction in new nurse graduates by providing transition support in the practice environment through a dedicated preceptor/clinical coach.
In this comprehensive resource, nursing staff development expert Jim Hansen, MSN, RN-BC, provides instruction and tools to plan, justify, and structure a nurse residency program that develops and retains new nurses through their first year
New graduate nurses encounter "transition shock" when they enter the workplace, especially in acute care settings such as hospitals. New graduate nurses have a difficult time transitioning into the work environment because they are unprepared by their academic training for the realities they will face and they often don't have the proper support in place to guide them through the transition. This leads to a high attrition rate of up to 30% within the first 18 months of employment which costs hospitals and health care facilities. High nurse turnover of new graduate nurses who aren't prepared for the complexities of clinical practice affect the quality of care provided. Patient outcomes are negatively affected because it often leaves hospitals dealing with a shortage of experienced nurses, which they compensate for by having high patient to nurse ratios. New graduate nurses must develop the necessary critical thinking skills to handle higher acuity patients and difficult situations, develop confidence in their clinical skills, and adapt to peer relationships. One solution to the "transition shock" that new graduate nurses face is the implementation of nurse residency programs. Nurse residency programs are shown to help new graduates have a better transition into the workplace and increase nurse retention. This paper discusses the problem of new graduate nurse turnover, the benefits of nurse residency programs, and the numerous research studies which have been done showing the success of nurse residency programs on new nurse graduate retention and job satisfaction. It also discusses how to implement a nurse residency program and monitor and evaluate its success.
The newly graduated nurse remains at high risk for leaving the nursing profession within the first year of entering the nursing workforce. Evidence based studies have reported that some medical centers report retention rates of only 55% in their first year of employment for the newly graduated nurse. Additional evidence based practice have also reported that 31% of these nurses intend to leave the nursing profession in the first three months of employment. This continues to enhance the nursing shortage issue that places the current nursing workforce at risk for burnout which can cause errors that lead to an increase risk for patient safety. Hospitals that have adopted the nurse residency program have reported retention rates of 89% in the first year of employment (Hillman and Foster, 2011). The information provided in this paper will review the evidence based articles that have researched the success of nurse residency programs for the newly graduated nurses. Along with the success of these programs this article will propose a similar plan to implement an equally successful plan to be initiated into nurse residency programs. The goal of this type of program is to reduce the rate of turnover among the newly graduated nurse by providing them a working unit that enhances their education after graduating their nursing programs. The cost of a unit in this nature will also be reviewed along with reports of retention rates for medical centers that have implemented a program similar in nature.
Thoroughly updated, this practical "how-to" guide provides a useful and easy-to-follow framework for developing and implementing preceptor programs, for learning to precept students, and for facilitating the development of expertise in both preceptors and preceptees. The contributor list includes specialists within a wide spectrum of clinical nursing settings who have expertise in preceptor program development. This text is essential to nursing faculty and nursing clinicians who want to set up preceptor programs, guide student experiences, or help orient novice practitioners to the practice setting. It explains the differences between precepting and mentoring or teaching; provides insights into preceptor programs; and explores internships, residencies, and mentoring.
New graduate nurses make up 10% of an organization's nursing staff (Hopkins & Bromley, 2016). New graduates are faced with the challenge of transitioning to practice from the classroom setting. Nurse residency programs are designed to provide new graduate nurses with a resource in their first year of practice. An integrative review of literature was conducted to analyze components of nurse residency programs associated with their respective outcomes. The implementation of a nurse residency program provides the new graduate nurse with support, education, and clinical skills required of a registered nurse. Proposed analysis of this literature review will be presented. -- Abstract
“This book is brilliant, relevant, and a must-have resource for all preceptors and those supporting the lifelong learning journey of preceptors. This edition provides updated strategies for all preceptors and the ability to develop meaningful action plans to enhance the learning journeys.” –Sylvain Trepanier DNP, RN, CENP, FAONL, FAAN SVP, Chief Nursing Officer Providence, Renton, Washington “In today’s turbulent healthcare environment, preceptors play a crucial role in the successful professional transition of nurses. The nurse tenure in acute care settings has dropped over the past years, and many of today’s preceptors are new to their roles. Precepting is both an art and a science. This new edition of Mastering Precepting provides an evidence-based road map for preceptor development and strategies to avoid preceptor burnout.” –Rose O. Sherman EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN Professor Emeritus Florida Atlantic University Editor-in-Chief, Nurse Leader “Once we expected faculty to monitor students, for new graduates to ‘figure it out,’ and for a nurse with any experience to transition anywhere needed. Then, as we focused on safety and quality, we realized all those individuals needed support of some kind to acquire the new expected competencies of the role in that setting. Once again, that is what Dr. Ulrich and her colleagues have done in the third edition of Mastering Precepting, with just the right balance of theory and practicality to make this a most useful book.” –Patricia S. Yoder-Wise, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAONL, FAAN Professor and Dean Emerita, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Co-Founder and Vice President, the Nurses Legacy Institute Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing Preceptors have the power and opportunity to inspire nurses and other healthcare providers to achieve greatness. Effective precepting programs depend on two critical groups: those who organize and manage the programs and those who support, teach, and coach. Beth Ulrich and her team of expert contributing authors provide the knowledge, tools, skills, and wisdom both groups need for success. Written for staff nurses and other care providers, managers, and educators, this third edition of Mastering Precepting teaches preceptors both the science and art of precepting and empowers them to seek the support they need to be effective. For managers, it emphasizes the importance of providing preceptors with positive and supportive experiences. For educators, it provides the information and knowledge required to develop and improve preceptor programs. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: The Preceptor Role Chapter 2: Learning: The Foundation of Precepting Chapter 3: Core Precepting Concepts Chapter 4: Precepting Strategies Chapter 5: Developing a Professional Identity Chapter 6: Having a Plan: Developing and Using Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes Chapter 7: Communication Chapter 8: Coaching Chapter 9: Effectively Using Instructional Technologies Chapter 10: Precepting Specific Learner Populations Chapter 11: Precepting Advanced Practice Registered Nurses Chapter 12: Assessing and Addressing Preceptee Behavior and Motivation Chapter 13: Pragmatics of Precepting Chapter 14: Self-Care for Preceptors Chapter 15: The NPD Practitioner: Responsibility for Preceptor Programs Chapter 16: For Managers: Selecting, Supporting, and Sustaining Preceptors Chapter 17: Preceptor Development ABOUT THE AUTHOR Beth Tamplet Ulrich, EdD, RN, FACHE, FAONL, FAAN, is a Professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing in Galveston in the DNP Program, and Editor-in-Chief of the Nephrology Nursing Journal. She is a nationally recognized thought leader who is known for her research studying nursing work environments and the experiences of new graduate nurses as they transition from nursing school into the workforce.
