Introduction
In this paper I will discuss how preceptors and educational leaders have contributed to my nursing career and many others. The mentors who have the most influence on nurses are those that stick with the nurses and help give them the motivation they need to move through obstacles. In the first few paragraphs, I will discuss my personal experience with a mentor and the characteristics they possessed that were beneficial to me. Mentors have become a great influence in my career and many others. In the last section of this paper, I will discuss some of my personal experiences in example and support why I value the characteristics by referring back to peer reviewed articles. Preceptors are essential and irreplaceable in the nursing profession and in this paper will describe how they are active in every nurse’s life and profession.
Characteristics of a Preceptor
The qualities I think that is essential to be an excellent preceptor for someone in the nursing field is support/motivation. The preceptor must be an individual who has the senses to know when a nurse is struggling and give them the support needed to continue and push pass the obstacles they are facing because there are daily challenges that every nurse must face. The next characteristic that is important is the nurse must be knowledgeable in their area of nursing. This characteristic is important because if another is confronted with a dilemma they can be available as a resource because many nurses seek out a preceptor when they are unsure of a route to take before or after a situation has occurred. Honesty is the best solution for any situation and is one of the most important character traits to process. The preceptor must be accountable, truthful, and always ...
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...eptors were amazing and have left an impression and is one of the reasons I am the nurse am and I hope to precept my students the same way being supportive and guiding them down the best road. One day when one of my preceptee look back at their professional career I hope they can see how important it was for them to have a mentor especially in nursing school and as a new graduate nurse.
Works Cited
Ihlenfeld, J. T. (2005). Hiring and Mentoring Graduate Nurses in the Intensive Care Unit. Dimensions Of Critical Care Nursing, 24(4), 175-178.
Pellatt, G. (2006). Nursing mentors. The role of mentors in supporting pre-registration nursing students. British Journal Of Nursing, 15(6), 336-340.
Sorensen, H. J., & Yankech, L. (2008). Precepting in the Fast Lane: Improving Critical Thinking in New Graduate Nurses. Journal Of Continuing Education In Nursing, 39(5), 208.
Twibell and Pierre explain why mentoring residency programs play a huge role in employee retention rates. Mentors rather than preceptors are investing in new grad nurses for longer than just a few months. NGNs are receiving constructive criticism from their mentors and serve as mediators between workplace issues. High levels of anxiety are reported in the first few weeks of employment, but with mentors there to have a caring attitude, the levels of anxiety can be greatly decreased and learning can be much easier facilitated (2012).
I presume the role transition from academic nursing student to Graduate Nurse will be challenging and rewarding. In their findings, the researchers Doody, Tuohy & Deasy (2012) stated that for a successful transition NGNs need to be competent in a range of domains: interpersonal skills, managing workloads, providing health information, communication, and prioritising care delivery. Although I believe I am competent in the above specified areas, I am still not confident that I would get sufficient support in the hospital environment in terms of knowledge sharing, moral support and being given constructive feedback. Constructive criticism increases confidence in the work role and reduces stress in an individual (Doody, Tuohy & Deasy, 2012). In my previous professional placements I have been able to demonstrate my competency to work in the healthcare environment. I have received positive feedback from placement educators, buddy nurses and patients. Despite being competent in a range of the above areas NGNs may still face transition shock.
As we begin our nursing career, it is vital to have an experienced preceptor to guide a new graduate nurse to becoming an accomplished and knowledgeable nurse. It just doesn’t take experience to make a good nurse preceptor but one that possesses qualities such as being patient, knowledgeable, give constructive feedback, and able to be a supportive role model. As stated by Korzon and Trimmer, “A supportive preceptorship relationship is a well-established primary support mechanism aimed at the successful integration of new nurse” (p.14). This statement doesn’t only apply to new nurses but nurses that are joining a new organization or a nursing specialty.
The transition from student to a qualified nurse can be a stressful and overwhelming ex-perience for many newly qualified nurses. This opinion is widely upheld throughout the literature with Higgins et al (2010) maintaining that many of the problems experienced are due to lack of support during this initial transition and a period of preceptorship would be invaluable.
It is a useful approach for new nurses as it provides them with effective and systematic support in the nursing practice, facilitates their professional development, and enhances the coordination of care within the unique context of general practice. I do believe that in any organization a new employee need to be familiar with company vision and identity. Through careful mentoring the new nurses or employee will understand the basic principle the organization.it has been proven that when you are careful and successful Mentoring new nurses it increase they skills, confidence, decision making , reduce stress and anxiety levels (Zhang 2016, Edwards
My nurse preceptor was Raji. I really enjoyed her communication skills. She made sure to be in constant communication with not only the different healthcare teams, but also the families. Keeping the patients and their families informed really helped get them involved in their care. She had a kind nature and positive attitudes. She made sure to communicate pertinent details regarding the patient's status to the patient's doctors and nurse practitioners. I was really impressed by her effort to provide complete comfort and ease to her patients. I have had previous nurses (at other hospitals) that did not necessarily pay attention to these small patient centered care elements. These were assumed to be done by the clinical partner. However,
As Finkelman (2006) stated, “Mentoring, and important career development to that can be used by nurses any type of set or specialty, can be used to develop the critical leadership skills needed by nurses. All successful leaders have had mentors are our mentors” (Finkelman,2006, p. 390).
The Code for nurses and midwives(2015) states that as a nurses we must “Share your skills, knowledge and experience for the benefit of people receiving care, supporting students’ and colleagues’ learning to help them develop their professional competence and confidence”. That’s why our role as a mentor is critical in helping to facilitate the development of future generations of nurses (Royal College of Nursing 2007) and according to Landers (cited in the Nursing Times) clinical placement provides the opportunity for students to observe role models, practice, develop their skills and problem-solving abilities, and reflect on what they see, hear and do (Nicola Merrifield 2006). Seeing that, I have analyzed the learning environment using a SWOT analysis (see appendix 1) in my currently
Around the 1960s, nursing educational leaders wanted to formulate a nursing theory that contained knowledge and basic principles to guide future nurses’ in their practice (Thorne, 2010, p.64). Thus, Jacqueline Fawcett introduced the metaparadigm of nursing. Metaparadigm “identifies the concepts central to the discipline without relating them to the assumptions of a particular world view” (MacIntyre & Mcdonald, 2014). Fawcett’s metaparadigm of nursing included concepts of person, environment, health, and nursing that were interrelated. The metaparadigm ultimately contributed to conceptual framework to guide nurses to perform critical thinking and the nursing process in everyday experiences in clinical settings.
Yildirim, B. & Ozkahraman, S. (2011). Critical Thinking in Nursing and Learning Styles. 1. Retrieved from http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_1_No_18_Special_Issue/15.pdf
Mentorship is an integral part of nursing profession as qualified nurse have the responsibility of supporting and developing future nurses (Hodges, 2009). Hence, this essay will discuss Strategies a mentor can implement to support an underperforming learner in a practice environment. Mentorship is essential in the training and development of nursing student. This will explore how a mentor can identify underperforming learner, evaluate mentors interventions and discuss accountability in relation to decision making to the learners achievements.
Therefore, I strive every day to be that professional, that health care provider that has a positive and long lasting impact on patient’s health and wellbeing. I always strive to be that professional that my patients and colleagues trust, respect and admire. As a registered nurse, I have accomplished that. I know it because I am asked to precept new nurses and students, because my colleagues come to me frequently to ask me questions when they are in doubt, because when there is a difficult or complicated patient, my supervisor trust me with his care, because at the end of a long busy shift with seven to eight patients under my care, my patients praise me and thank me for the great and unique care I provided them.
Prior to entering the professional role of nursing, a nurse should also determine the principals and personal values that will guide their nursing practice. Personal values, past experiences, and influences of other nurses are what attract many to the profession of nursing. Nurses have a profound impact on the lives of their patients, their families, and the community. Nursing is a constant process of building a prevalent knowledge base while maintaining a sense of compassion and empathy for those during a time of need. Nursing is more than a career, it is an art form that is continuously being molded by personal experiences and the gain of knowledge; what we do with it is that defines us as nurses.
I am the first one in my family to go to college, I have been living my life showing respect to others with one basic principle to “always do my best no matter what it takes to be fair, honest and be responsive to everyone’s needs”. I learned through my career to be dependable, self-confident, humble, and honest and show respect and a positive attitude at all time. People that I interact with always told me that I have the ability to inspire others and the makeup of a leader. Being humble, caring, and compassionate are among my personal values. I know that my greatest strengths rely in the way I treat my patients, showing empathy, sympathy, patience and professionalism. I learned that developing a trustworthy patient/nurses relationship is very important in the management of patients care. I personally believe that a nurse needs to have high integrity and to continue to strive to stay up-to-date and knowledgeable to be able to provide utmost quality care to the patients.
Coaching and mentoring are vital tools in developing the workforce, most especially in enhancing quality practices at the point of care, and also innovating these practices. According to Abiddin (2006), mentoring and coaching are factors which are vital in developing people in their professions. As such, these two are related with career and self development and professional growth (Abiddin, 2006). In line with this assertion, this paper will discuss about the current relevance of mentoring and coaching in nursing in today's healthcare; how it influences both healthcare and nursing; how it is integrated into clinical practice; and how it is used in the clinical setting.