Pediatric registered nurses as preceptors for 3rd‐year medical students: A program to enhance the pediatric inpatient experience

Background: Pediatric clinical clerkships often include inpatient rotations with limited direct patient exposure and little input from experienced registered nurses (RNs). Purpose: We sought to enhance medical student education by increasing direct patient contact and the frequency of performing basic pediatric caregiving skills through an RN preceptor program. Methods: We designed a prospective, controlled teaching interaction utilizing surveys during a children's hospital inpatient rotation. Medical students were matched with an RN during one 8‐hr shift (Ns) or acted as controls (Cs). Results: Forty‐seven Ns and 46 Cs participated. Ns performed all tasks surveyed significantly more often, including changing diaper, giving bottle‐feedings, measuring blood pressure and temperature, and giving medications. Direct daily patient interaction was 3 hr for Ns versus 1.7 hr for Cs. Ninety‐six percent of Ns and 100% of RNs felt the program was worthwhile. Conclusions: A 1‐day interaction significantly increased direct pediatric experiences. It was well accepted and promoted a heightened awareness of the crucial nursing roles on the medical team.