Roles of Nurse Preceptors and Mentors

This paper describes the roles of nurse preceptors and mentors in the healthcare setting.

Nurse Preceptors serve as a mentor and role model to newly hired nurses, providing guidance on the clinical environment. They help orient new nurses to their specific areas of practice, teaching them policies and procedures related to patient care, assessment skills, communication techniques, problem solving strategies, critical thinking skills, and other professional behaviors. By helping facilitate the transition for new nurses into their workplace, nurse preceptors allow for faster integration into team dynamics.

Mentors provide more long-term support than nurse preceptors by offering emotional support as well as furthering development of skills such as clinical decision making and leadership potential. Mentoring relationships can range from formal or informal assignments, but both are equally effective in fostering professional development. Mentors help guide nurses through difficult decisions and provide advice on career paths within the profession.

The roles of nurse preceptors and mentors are essential to ensure quality patient care and successful outcomes for new nurses entering the healthcare setting. They provide critical support services while helping foster a positive work environment for all nurses involved. By providing guidance on the delivery of safe practice, these two roles are vital to promoting the success of all healthcare professionals. Additionally, nurse preceptors and mentors can serve as role models by demonstrating high-quality patient care and ethical decision making during their interactions with patients, peers, physicians, and other members of the healthcare team. With the right support from knowledgeable nurse preceptors and mentors, the nursing profession can continue to thrive in the healthcare environment.

References:

American Nurses Association. (2016). Preceptor & Mentorship Programs for New Nurse Graduates. Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/mentoring/.

The American Organization of Nurse Executives (2018). From Preceptors to Mentors – A Proposal for a Differentiated Model of Clinical Support for New Graduate Nurses. Retrieved from http://www2.aone.org/aone/study_groups_detail?p_sgid=153&p_menu=5264&p_ckt=1&p_ref