Conclusion
The need for new approaches in how nurses are prepared is fueled by numerous factors, including those related to students, faculty, clinical environments, and the overall health care field. The findings from this study contributed new knowledge from the perspective of nurse preceptors, demonstrating that the rich forms of nurse preceptors’ practical, professional, and experimental teaching knowledge can inform the development of new clinical practice knowledge around the everyday activities of clinical nursing education. Upgrading nursing knowledge through education is an essential ingredient for informing change. Educating nurses in the role of nurse preceptors is necessary to shape the experiential learning of undergraduate nursing students to better prepare them to be independent practitioners upon graduation and retention in the nursing profession. Clinical teaching and supervision is a skill and cannot be assumed that, by virtue of preceptors’ knowledge and expertise, nurses can automatically function as preceptors. It was made clear throughout the scope of this research preceptors must be formally trained in order to become facilitators of knowledge in the role of the teacher. If a nurse preceptor has not received professional teaching training, then it is implausible to blame these nurses for the students’ learning experience. Building on the importance of making steady incremental progress toward educating nurse preceptors, seeking grants to provide preceptor workshops to target staff nurses who have not been reached will enhance nurses’ educational potential. As nurses are educated in the preceptor role, preceptor experience will improve; consequently, this will enrich the unit environment as a whole. In addition, conducting preceptor workshops can provide nurse preceptors with tools to empower student nurses to become competent and valuable members of their healthcare team.