Faculty support for nurse preceptors.

Preceptored clinical experiences are much valued by nurse educators as a means of exposing students to the expertise of practising nurses; however, with increasingly stressful work situations, preceptoring nurses need faculty support to fulfill their roles in a satisfying and effective way. The author reports on a qualitative study that examined preceptors' views of faculty roles in preceptored clinical experiences and details preceptors' expectations of faculty support. Five main themes were identified. Preceptors stressed the following important faculty functions: (1) accessibility, (2) information provision, (3) evaluation of student performance, (4) advocacy for precepted students, and (5) mentor to preceptors, especially for nurses who are prepared at the diploma level or who lack experience in preceptoring. Various preceptors indicated differences in their needs for faculty assistance in each function, but all functions were confirmed as necessary to the effective functioning of a preceptored learning experience for students. All preceptors confirmed their expectation of active faculty involvement in the preceptored experience.