PRECEPTOR BUY-IN AND ENGAGEMENT: A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
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Date
2022-08
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Challenged by the mass exodus of aging nurses into retirement and "the great resignation" of younger nurse generations, the nursing supply is struggling to meet the demand. The result is an overwhelming shortage of nurses nationwide. Improving the retention of new graduate registered nurses (NGRNs) may help replenish the nursing workforce. As key stakeholders in the development of NGRNs, preceptors have the potential to improve NGRN satisfaction and retentions rates by offering clinical expertise and psychosocial support to bridge the gap from nursing school to professional practice. According to the literature, buy-in has been associated with the preceptor's commitment to engage; therefore, this quality improvement project sought to examine the current levels of preceptor buy-in and engagement at a 92-bed, rural Midwest hospital. The entire population of preceptors (N=22) completed a three-part preceptor-focused assessment composed of Dibert and Goldenburg's (1995) Preceptor Questionnaire, Schaufeli and Bakker's (2004) Utretch Work Engagement Scale (UWES), and five open-ended questions. The majority of preceptors (91%, n=20) perceived benefits and rewards to preceptorship (e.g., opportunity to teach, integration of new staff into the unit, increase personal knowledge) and support for preceptors (i.e., adequate preparation for the role (86%, n=19), clear definition of goals (82%, n=18), appropriate workloads (68%, n=15)). In addition, most preceptors agreed that they are committed to the role via willingness to exceed normal work expectations (100%, n=22), enthusiasm about the program (68%, n=15), and alignment of personal values with program values (86%, n=19). However, 68% (n=15) of the preceptors felt that nursing staff do not understand the goals of the preceptor program, and 32% (n=7) agreed on some level that they felt very little loyalty to the preceptor program. Preceptor responses to UWES indicated that most of the preceptors felt engaged in their work at least some of the time. Review of assessment results, collaboration among stakeholders, and hospital-wide dissemination followed. Assessing the perceptions of program participants, such as preceptors, offers an initial step in understanding the characteristics and needs of key stakeholders and facilitates recommendation formation and development of future quality-improvement projects.