Improving Clinical Competence and Confidence of Senior Nursing Students through Clinical Preceptorship

Clinical preceptorship provides an essential aspect of nursing education for senior nursing students. This descriptive study identified perceptions of senior nursing students about their clinical preceptorship experiences, evaluated their perceived levels of competency and confidence in providing nursing care; and examined their perceived confidence level in relation to the perceived competency level of nursing skills. Researchers approached 134 culturally diverse senior nursing students enrolled in Preceptorship courses at one of the state-funded California universities and collected anonymous data from 95 students in academic years 2010-2012, using three instruments; Senior Preceptorship Experience Questionnaire, Graduate Nurse Survey, and Quality and Safety Education for Nurses tools. Results indicated that the clinical preceptorship improved students’ perceived competency skills and confidence in providing nursing care. Outcomes demonstrated that the level of students’ perceived competency was positively associated with the level of their interaction with preceptor. There was a significant correlation between the overall perceived competency level and confidence level of students; however there was no relationship between the amount of preceptor interaction and the degree of perceived confidence. This information is useful to nursing education as educators continue striving to reconcile the lack of preparedness for new staff roles that employers see in new graduates.