Nurses' Lived Experience of Preceptorship for Newly Graduated Nurses in Hospital

Abstract

Purpose: This phenomenological study is aimed to describe nurses’ lived experience of preceptoring in hospitals.Methods: Ten nurse preceptors who participated in this qualitative study shared their experience of the preceptor’s role in hospitals. Data analysis was done using the Colaizzi’ phenomenological method. In-depth personal interviews were conducted from September 1 to November 30, 2013.Results: Based on this study, seven consistent categories and twenty-two theme clusters emerged from collected data. The seven themes were: ‘not knowing what to do’, ‘not understood‘, ‘burnt out due to pressure from work‘, ‘having difficulty in building relationships at work’, ‘becoming similar to their preceptor, personal growth through preceptorship’, and ‘feeling rewarded at the preceptee’s improvement’.Conclusion: The result of this study suggests that further research is needed to improve preceptors’ adaptations to the workplace and to reduce their stress.