Implementation of preceptorship standards and clinical skills development among nursing students at Jinja School of Nursing and Midwifery

Abstract

The study assessed how preceptorship standards are being implemented to facilitate clinical skills development among nursing students at Jinja School of Nursing and Midwifery. The study was guided by four specific objectives: To assess the influence of stakeholders’ collaboration on clinical skills development among nursing students, to ascertain the influence of hospital learning environment on clinical skills development among nursing students, to establish the influence of preceptors competences on clinical skills development among nursing students and to examine the influence of learners assessment on clinical skills development among nursing students. A descriptive correlation survey research design was used. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Data was obtained from a population of nursing students, clinical placement (coordinator and provider), school and hospital administrators and preceptors who all totaled to127 respondents. These were selected using stratified simple random and purposive sampling techniques. Quantitative Data was analysed using the SPSS to generate frequencies and percentages while Pearson correlation co-efficient was used to establish the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The study concluded that stakeholders’ collaboration is not being implemented satisfactorily to facilitate clinical skills development among nursing students e.g. the working policies being not streamlined. The hospital learning environment does not facilitate clinical skills development among nursing students e.g. the learning resources being inadequate. The preceptors don’t have the required competences to facilitate clinical skills development among nursing students e.g. preceptors not being aware of their roles. Finally, learners’ assessment is not satisfactorily implemented to facilitate clinical skills development among nursing students such as preceptors not giving timely regular feedback to students after assessment and supervision. The study recommends that for effective clinical skills development among the nursing students, there is need to strengthen the stakeholders’ collaboration and implement it appropriately, the Hospital learning environment should be equipped and made more favorable for learning, the Training school should adopt appropriate strategies that foster necessary competencies of preceptors and Preceptors should adopt different suitable strategies of learners’ assessment.