1. Preparing for your role as a Preceptor
Developed by the Yorkshire and the Humber Preceptorship Group

2. Welcome and Purpose The purpose of this resource is:
To increase your knowledge and understanding of preceptorship including:
What it is
What it isn't
To develop your understanding of the role of a preceptor
To explore different types of support you can offer
To signpost you to other resources

3. What is preceptorship?
The Department of Health define Preceptorship as:
‘ A period of structured transition for the newly registered practitioner during which he or she will be supported by a preceptor, to develop their confidence as an autonomous professional, refine skills, values and behaviours to continue on their journey of life-long journey’

4. Who is it for?
Those entering professional practice for the first time, usually due to being newly qualified
Those entering a new field of practice, such as health visiting, by means of a second registerable qualification
Those entering practice from a different setting, e.g.
Acute care to community care
Care Home to primary care
Overseas qualified professionals moving to the UK
Registered Nurses from other areas of the UK
Those returning to practice after a of more than 5 years
Can also be used to support others who may benefit from a structured period of supported practice

5. Why do we need it?
The ‘reality shock’ of entering professional practice has long been recognised as a time of stress and pressure for new registrants
Support and guidance during this transition has been demonstrated to improve outcomes for new registrants
To improve retention of staff
To build the resilience of the workforce
Ultimately to deliver high quality patient care

6. Just Nurses and Midwives?
Although Preceptorship is usually used in the context of Nursing and Midwifery, the principles can be applied to support all healthcare professionals
This includes new roles such as Physician’s Assistants and Nursing Associates

7. Health Education England’s preceptorship standards
Full details of the Preceptorship Standards can be found here
The standards were developed and published in 2015 to enable consistent quality of preceptorship across the country
They are multi-disciplinary and apply to all those who are undergoing transition
The standards should be read in conjunction with your organisation’s preceptorship policy

8. Responsibilities of the preceptor
To ensure the preceptee is orientated into the work area
To work with the preceptee on a regular basis
To identify learning needs with the preceptee
To identify opportunities for training & development for the preceptee
To support the transition of the preceptee
To monitor the progress of the preceptee and action plan to address any areas for concern / further development, escalating to their line manager as appropriate
To share own skills, knowledge and experience
To act as a positive professional role model
To complete the final sign off at the end of the period of preceptorship

9. Responsibilities of the preceptee
To be responsible for own practice
To take ownership for and a lead in the preceptorship process
To engage fully and commit to the preceptorship process
To escalate any concerns regarding the process to their line manager
To be responsible for their own learning
To keep a written record of all meetings with their preceptor
To make effective and appropriate use of any allocated supernumerary time to shadow other MDT members and develop their practice
To maintain a reflective diary and portfolio

10. Preceptorship is not…….
Mandatory training
A performance management process
An assessment of an individual’s competence to practice
Mentorship
Formal coaching or clinical supervision
An educational package which is undertaken in isolation away from the clinical area
A period where the preceptee is not accountable for their own practice

11. Benefits of Preceptorship: organisation
There are many benefits to the organisation of offering an effective preceptorship programme including:
Enhanced patient care and experience
Enhanced recruitment and retention of staff
Reduction in sickness and absence levels
Increased staff satisfaction
Identification of staff who may need further support
Opportunity to identify future leaders

12. Benefits of Preceptorship: preceptee
For the preceptee, the benefits may depend to some extent on their personal qualities and the reason for the preceptorship period but include:
Develops confidence in own practice
Socialisation into the practice setting
Increased job satisfaction
Support through transition
Understanding and awareness of organisational culture and opportunities for career progression
Embeds the philosophy of lifelong learning
Feels valued by their employer

13. Benefits of Preceptorship: preceptor
The role of preceptor is an important one, especially because of the impact it has on others. However there are also a number of benefits for the preceptor themselves, including:
Development of supervision, coaching and supportive skills
Valued as a team member and role model
Supports lifelong learning
Facilitates revalidation process
Enhances future career aspirations
Able to share own knowledge and experiences

14. Who can be a preceptor?
Any healthcare professional from the same profession as the preceptee who has professional competence in the clinical area and has the skills and abilities to be able to offer the support the new registrant needs
A preceptor does not need a formal mentorship qualification as the skills needed differ from those needed to be a mentor to pre-registration students, although it may be an advantage to have some teaching and coaching skills

15. Skills needed to be an effective Preceptor
Be a reflective practitioner
Able to give constructive feedback
Able to set SMART objectives
Able to facilitate problem-solving
Have effective listening skills
Be an effective team member
Possess good time-management and leadership skills
Skilled at prioritising and delivering care
Demonstrate effective clinical reasoning skills and evidence-based practice
Able to recognise own and others’ limitations
Aware of what resources are available
Be an inspirational role model
Possess and demonstrate professional values, attitude and behaviours
Willing to share knowledge and skills with others
Commitment to the preceptorship process
Willing to undertake the role

16. What support can you offer as a preceptor?
Listening to the concerns of your preceptee
Supporting their transition into the clinical team
Supporting them to complete the Preceptorship paperwork
Offering professional advice and guidance
Reassurance for your preceptee
Advocate for your preceptee
Acting as a positive role model for your preceptee

17. How often do I need to meet with my preceptee?
This is often dictated by your local policy, however this should always be for guidance only and each Preceptee will have different needs
Best practice would suggest that you meet with your preceptee at least weekly for the first month, and at least monthly after that
Remember though, meeting more frequently is often necessary, especially in the first 3-6 months and this can change throughout the period of preceptorship

18. Where can you get help and support?
Other team members
Your line manager
Your organisational preceptorship lead
You can also find resources, including FAQs, which may be of interest on the Yorkshire and the Humber Health Education England website

19. Scenario 1
You are supporting a newly qualified member of the team. You are concerned however that they are over-confident of their abilities at this stage of their career.
Consider
What would you do initially?
Who might you need support from?
At what stage would you escalate and who might you involve in this?
Discuss in groups and feedback…….

20. Scenario 1 discussion Some things you may have considered:
Setting clear boundaries at your initial meeting
Re-iterating those boundaries at each meeting and discussing the rationale for this with examples where you feel that the preceptee may have over-stepped these boundaries
Discussing your thoughts confidentially with colleagues – is it just you who feels this way or is the concern shared by others?
Exploring the preceptee’s thoughts about their level of competence
Discussing with / escalating your concerns to your line manager
Ensuring your discussions and concerns are recorded
Reflecting on the scenario for your revalidation portfolio

21. Scenario 2
You are supporting a healthcare professional who has been qualified for a number of years, but is new to your speciality. You are concerned that they have been in the area for 3 months now btu are still checking all decisions with you before acting.
Consider:
What might be the underpinning cause for the individual’s lack of confidence
How might you support them to develop their confidence?
Discuss in groups and feedback…….

22. Scenario 2 discussion Some things you may have considered:
Did you explore your preceptee’s previous experience at your initial meeting?
Were there issues in previous performance?
Were they in a role where they had autonomy?
Is there something happening in their personal life which may be impacting on their confidence / performance?
Could you reflect their questions back to them rather than giving them the answer?
Could you explore with them why they feel less confident?
Do you need help / support from others, for example line manager, coach

23. Scenario 3
Your preceptee tells you she feels she is not getting opportunities to learn in the practice area and therefore feels she is not progressing through her preceptorship
Consider:
what type of learning opportunities could you identify?
How can you ensure that your preceptee gets the maximum learning from their experiences in practice?
Discuss in groups and feedback…….

24. Scenario 3 discussion Some things you may have considered:
Using SMART action planning to formalise the process
Identifying different types of learning opportunities with your preceptee
Encouraging your preceptee to keep a reflective journal of all their learning
Using their reflective journal as a basis for future discussions
Encouraging your preceptee to relate all their reflections to The Code
Ensuring that other team members are aware that your preceptee has a need for learning and development so they can support you in identifying appropriate learning

25. References
Department of Health (2010) Preceptorship Framework for Newly Registered Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals
Health Education England (2015) Preceptorship Standards
Kramer, M (1974) Reality Shock: why nurses leave nursing

26. Any queries?
We would welcome your feedback on how we can improve this resource, or if you have any queries please contact:
Your organisational preceptorship lead or the nursing team at Health Education England in Yorkshire and the Humber on: