Qualitative study on nurse preceptors' preparedness, roles and familiarity with the basic principles of teaching and learning in a district hospital in Ghana.

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the experiences, preparedness, instructional practices and roles of preceptors supervising nursing students in a clinical setting. Exploratory descriptive study employing semi-structured interviews. A district hospital in the Kumasi Metropolis accredited for training nursing students in clinical practice. 12 nurse preceptors, each holding at least a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Findings revealed gaps in the preparation of preceptors and a lack of a clear definition of preceptors' roles and responsibilities from the outset, contributing to feelings of under-preparedness. While demonstrating inherent strengths like using probing questions, prompting techniques and assuming multifaceted roles, including role modelling, coaching and teaching, preceptors expressed uncertainty about over-reliance on passive demonstration-based teaching. Environmental barriers like noise concerns hindered the adoption of more interactive, student-centred pedagogies. The study highlights the need for comprehensive preceptor training programmes that provide robust onboarding, set clear expectations and equip preceptors with diverse evidence-based teaching methodologies tailored to healthcare contexts. Continued research involving larger samples, multimodal data and stakeholder perspectives can inform ongoing programme refinement.