Comparing the Effectiveness, Practice Opportunities, and Satisfaction of the Preceptored Clinical and the Traditional Clinical for Nursing Students

AIM: A preceptored clinical education model was introduced in partnership with a health care agency and compared with the traditional model for nursing clinical education. The preceptored model provided clinical education that more realistically approached the job responsibilities of the registered nurse. METHOD: Students were surveyed and measured at three points in their curriculum. RESULTS: Students in the preceptored clinical reported significantly more practice opportunities, but there were no significant differences on any cognitive measures of performance. In the first semester, the preceptored group reported higher satisfaction and perception of learning facilitation. These differences disappeared at the mid and endpoint measures. CONCLUSIONS; Preceptored students appeared to have greater practice opportunities, but this experience did not alter classroom performance or satisfaction beyond the first semester.