Preceptors play a significant role in enabling the clinical student to gain the necessary clinical skills required. In normal occasions, the preceptor act as the student's role model. It is through the preceptorship program that the clinical instructor gets to pass on his or her skill to the student and in turn, the student strives to acquire these skills (Oermann & Gaberson, 2015). As with any clinical endeavor, challenges are bound to be meet both by the clinical instructor and student as well. This paper highlights the challenges faced by the clinical instructor and the strategies set aside to mitigate these problems.
The challenges faced include the following; time pressure, fewer patients, shorter hospital stays, limited availability and variety of learning opportunities, varied needs and student abilities among others. It is worth noting that most clinical facilities are usually understaffed and every single day is a busy day for the nurses and the facility in general. Handling both the patients and the students, therefore, becomes a challenge hence the preceptors lack time to provide proper guidance to the students (Billings & Halstead, 2012). In most cases, students come in with a vast range of expectation, and it becomes a challenge for the preceptor to try and address all of them. With the workload present in many clinical facilities, administering the skills sought by the student becomes a challenge to most preceptors consequently leading to reduced learning opportunities. The amount of time spent in hospital in most instances cannot match the skills that need to be taught or learned by the student.
With all these challenges the most instructor ought to employ the following strategies to counteract faced challenges. In spite of the heavy workload present at the workplace, the preceptor ought to involve the student in most of these activities (Billings & Halstead, 2012). By doing this he or she be able to guide the student. This will also make the students see that they are being involved in the clinical process. The preceptor will also get to know of the student's expectation and if possible try to address most if not all of them. The close communication between the student and the instructor will aid in the minimization of the gap existing between both parties and it will ensure that a healthy relationship exists among them.
References
Billings, D. & Halstead, J. (2012). Teaching in Nursing (4th ed.). St. Louis, Mo.: Elsevier/Saunders.
Oermann, M. & Gaberson, K. (2015). Evaluation and testing in nursing education (4th ed.). New York: Springer Publishing Company.
