Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Master Thesis
Degree Name
Masters of Science (Research)
Department
Nursing & Healthcare Sciences
First Advisor
Dr. Catrina Heffernan
Second Advisor
Dr. Elizabeth Anne Heffernan
Abstract
Background: In Ireland, there is limited research and no clear guidance related to a preceptor’s role and responsibilities. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (2016) has indicated that it plans to develop a national approach to preparing preceptors for their role and responsibilities.
Aim: To investigate preceptors' perceptions of their role and responsibilities when preceptoring undergraduate BSc nursing students.
Research design: A correlational, quantitative descriptive design.
Data collection: The Preceptor Roles and Responsibilities Assessment (PRRA) (Omer, Suliman and Moola, 2016) was adapted for data collection. The modified PRRA comprised of 4 preceptor roles encompassing 43 preceptor responsibilities, utilizing a 5point Likert scale to evaluate the respondents’ level of agreement on a preceptor’s responsibilities.
Sample: A convenience sample of 462 registered nurses and midwives in the South West of Ireland participated in the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 57.7%.
Data analysis: Valid questionnaires 380 were processed for data analysis, using the IBM SPSS statistics software package. xi
Result: The respondents had a high perception of their role and responsibilities as a preceptor. The respondents ranked the statement “support developing skills while ensuring safe practice” as the most agreed with preceptor responsibility and “customize a clinical coaching plan for specific learning needs” as the least agreed with preceptor responsibility. There were statistically significant relationships between the respondents’ perceived role and socio-demographic variables “Formal preceptor training/preparation” (p = 0.002) and “Work Area” (p = 0.004). There were statistically significant relationships between preceptors perceived responsibilities and sociodemographic variables “Gender” (p < 0.01), “Formal preceptor training/preparation” (p < 0.01) and “Employer” (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the modified PRRA is a valid and reliable tool for examining a preceptor’s role and responsibilities.
Conclusion: The registered nurses and midwives in the South West of Ireland reported a high perception of their role and responsibilities as a preceptor. Findings reported a statistically significant relationship between the respondents’ perceived role and sociodemographic variables of “Formal preceptor training/preparation” and “Work Area”. Therefore it is important that formal preceptor training continues to be supported by the employer and implemented for all registered nurses and midwives to enhance their overall understanding of a preceptor’s role and responsibilities. The provision of specific knowledge and skills required for preceptoring in the specific ‘work area’ needs to be included as a component of preceptorship education. These findings will inform the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland in developing a national guideline to prepare preceptors for their role and responsibilities. Preceptor programmes should be developed based on these guidelines to enhance understanding of the role and responsibilities of a preceptor.
Recommended Citation
O’Connell, Jia, "To Investigate Nurse Preceptors’ Perceptions of their Role and Responsibilities when Preceptoring Undergraduate Nursing Students in the South West of Ireland" (2020). Theses [online].
Available at: https://sword.cit.ie/allthe/781
Access Level
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess