Merging Roadways: Development of a College-wide Preceptor Network

Arranging student clinical placements and maintaining preceptor ties to a College of Nursing is a time-consuming challenge for faculty who teach in nurse practitioner programs. At the College of Nursing, specialty track coordinators organized clinical placements using preceptor lists that were often outdated and incomplete. Clinical tracks within the College competed for preceptors rather than cross-utilizing them. In addition, the College faced increasing competition for preceptors from other programs and needed to develop strategies to maintain preceptor loyalty. In the Spring of 2010, track coordinators developed a survey that was sent by mail to College preceptors from the past 5 years. The purposes of this survey were to update preceptor preferred contact information (including email) and specialty preparation, determine preceptor willingness to accept students for the following three semesters, determine preceptor interest in further contact regarding our on-line post-master’s DNP program, and to make recipients aware of the newly developed preceptor DNP scholarships. Survey results were combined with previously acquired preceptor data to form an up-to-date, interactive database for use by multiple track coordinators. In addition to preceptor characteristics (availability, education, specialty certification), the new database integrates information on type of site (rural or urban, public or private, underserved), client characteristics (gender, age), and type of clinical experience (preventive, episodic, chronic, acute). This database enables track coordinators to work cooperatively to arrange student clinical experiences with a variety of clinicians, populations, and practice sites. It can also be utilized in educational grant and accreditation reporting. A substantial number of preceptors who responded to the survey were interested in learning more about the DNP program and receiving tuition scholarships for precepting. In order to enhance preceptor connectedness to the College, an email listserv was developed to distribute information on free continuing education opportunities and other activities that the College makes available to preceptors. The database is also used to distribute the quarterly College newsletter which highlights preceptors and their practices.