Content area
Full Text
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the nursing shortage, the experiences of nursing students, and the financial stability of healthcare organizations. Before the pandemic, nursing students had more clinical experiences. As nursing students enter professional practice, they need additional support to transition successfully from student to registered nurse. Having preceptors who are teachers and role models, provide a supportive learning environment, and give effective feedback sets the foundation for a strong preceptor program.
Registered nurses at the bedside and nursing students have been impacted dramatically by the COVID-19 pandemic. Raso and colleagues (2021) noted increasing numbers of nurses leaving their current clinical role or the profession altogether. Ultimately, this exodus makes the nursing shortage even worse.
Also meaningful are the clinical experiences of nursing students who completed their education during the pandemic. Due to the workload required to accept nursing students, many healthcare facilities did not have the human resources to accept students for their usual rotations. In addition, classroom and clinical experiences were transitioned to a virtual environment for a period. As a result, many students completed alternative experiences or simulations to help fulfill clinical hours. In many cases, nursing students had more limited clinical experiences when compared to times before the pandemic. As these students enter professional practice, they need additional support to make a successful transition from student to registered nurse (Hargreaves et al., 2021).
The pandemic has impacted not only the nursing shortage and the experiences of nursing students, but also the financial stability of healthcare organizations. According to Plescia (2021), the average cost of nursing turnovers is $40,038 per nurse. Annually, hospitals lose $3.6 to $6.5 million because of nurse turnovers. Approximately 17% of novice nurses exit their first nursing job within 12 months (Loughran & Koharchik, 2019). In addition, during 2020, the registered nurse vacancy rate was 9.9%. This increased rate was attributed to the economy and COVID-19 pandemic (Plescia, 2021).
Effective preceptors are needed to guide novice nurses who may be entering practice and experienced nurses who may be transitioning from one role to another. Experienced nurses who transition from clinical practice to management or other positions also benefit from structured preceptorship to guide them in their new roles. Novice and experienced...