Research preceptors: assisting the postanesthesia nurse to advance from novice to expert researcher.

Benner proposed "novice to expert" to describe and explain the development of clinical skill acquisition in nursing students and practicing nurses. Frequently, nursing students' clinical skill acquisition is facilitated by a clinical instructor or preceptor; however, it is uncommon to facilitate research skills by this method. This article describes the novice-to-expert framework, its applications to practice competency development in students and nurses, and research skill expectations. Developing research skill in PACU nurses through the use of research preceptors is proposed.