Preceptor's Preceptions of New Nurses Ability to Perform Basic Skills

This book answered the primary research question regarding what perceptions preceptors had about the knowledge and ability of new nurses who had their clinical experiences in a dedicated education unit (DEU) to perform basic nursing skills safely and independently. The study took place on a 24-bed, cardiology progressive care dedicated education unit (DEU) in a southern rural hospital. The method of collecting data was eight in-depth, face-to-face, semi-structured, recorded interviews of registered nurses who have been nurse preceptors in a hospital setting within the last year and had a minimum of one year's experience as a nurse in a hospital. Six basic themes emerged: the benefits of hands on experience versus observation, the development of trust between the DEU student and the preceptor, and the importance of continuity of care. The other themes were the advantage of learning evidence-based practice from an up-to-date, experienced nurse currently working in a hospital, the effective transfer of book knowledge to bedside nursing, and the ability to critically think, and analyze how one body system affects another system.