Elsevier

Nurse Education Today

Volume 60, January 2018, Pages 11-22
Nurse Education Today

Review
A systematic review of online learning programs for nurse preceptors

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2017.09.010Get rights and content

Highlights

  • There is a paucity of studies examining online learning programs for nurse preceptors.

  • Quality of such existing studies has been found to be below optimal.

  • The review assists in developing content, and evaluation of outcomes for online programs.

  • Flexible and resource-rich online learning encourages nurses for continuing education.

  • The integration of technology into continuing education offers an alternative platform for nurses.

Abstract

Background

Nurse preceptors guide students to integrate theory into practice, teach clinical skills, assess clinical competency, and enhance problem solving skills. Managing the dual roles of a registered nurse and preceptor poses tremendous challenges to many preceptors. Online learning is recognized as an effective learning approach for enhancing nursing knowledge and skills.

Objective

The systematic review aims to review and synthesise the online learning programs for preceptors.

Design

A systematic review was designed based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Programs.

Data Sources

Articles published between January 2000 and June 2016 were sought from six electronic databases: CINAHL, Medline OVID, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science.

Methods

All papers were reviewed and quality assessment was performed. Nine studies were finally selected. Data were extracted, organized and analysed using a narrative synthesis.

Results

The review identified five overarching themes: development of the online learning programs for nurse preceptors, major contents of the programs, uniqueness of each program, modes of delivery, and outcomes of the programs.

Conclusion

The systematic review provides insightful information on educational programs for preceptors. At this information age, online learning offers accessibility, convenience, flexibility, which could of great advantage for the working adults. In addition, the online platform provides an alternative for preceptors who face challenges of workload, time, and support system. Therefore, it is paramount that continuing education courses need to be integrated with technology, increase the flexibility and responsiveness of the nursing workforce, and offer alternative means to take up courses.

Introduction

Clinical nursing education provides opportunities for students to learn in multiple patient care settings, receive appropriate guidance, and foster a development of clinical competence and professionalism (AACN, 2008). Clinical competence is described by the theoretical and clinical knowledge used in the practice of nursing, incorporating psychomotor skills and problem-solving abilities with the goal of safely providing care for patients (Hickey, 2010). Clinical competence develops over time as nurses progress through various levels of proficiency (Benner, 1982). Nurse preceptors guide students to integrate theory into practice, teach clinical skills, assess clinical competency, and enhance problem solving skills (Cant et al., 2013). Preceptors need to possess a strong familiarity with the principles of teaching and learning to effectively help students reach their learning goals (O'Connor, 2006). The meta-review by Tang et al. (2005) highlighted four categories of effective clinical teaching behaviors: professional competence, interpersonal relationship skills, personality characteristics, and teaching abilities. Clinical nurse leaders and academics often articulated concerns about preceptors' competence in clinical teaching and assessment (Wu et al., 2017). A lack of teaching knowledge and experience also leads to role ambiguity, unfamiliarity with clinical assessment systems and processes, and unawareness of appropriate avenues to seek guidance from Benner et al. (2009). An online program utilises digital platforms for the courses of study. The flexible and resource-rich nature of online learning may encourage nurses to use it as a platform for continuing education.

Section snippets

Challenges Faced by the Preceptors

In our prior study, the students perceived that preceptors were overwhelmed by their teaching and patient care workloads and, as a result, had little time to guide and assess students (Wu et al., 2016b). Managing the dual roles of a registered nurse and a preceptor poses a tremendous challenge to many preceptors (Jonsén et al., 2013). In struggling to fulfil all their obligations, nurses might give a lower priority to the role of a preceptor because higher patient acuity often forces nurses to

Aim

The questions for this review were developed using the Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes, and Specific exclusion process (Table 1): ‘What are the current online learning programs for preceptors?’, ‘How effective are online learning programs?’, and ‘What are the experiences of the participants in such online learning programs?’. The systematic review aims to review and synthesise the online learning programs for preceptors.

Design

A systematic review was designed based on relevant criteria

Results

The results of the review are presented in five overarching themes to reflect the development of the online learning programs for nurse preceptors, major contents of the programs, uniqueness of each program, modes of delivery, and outcomes of the programs. The results provided a comprehensive analysis of the current online learning programs for nurse preceptors and the effectiveness of those programs.

Discussion

This systematic review revealed eight different programs, out of which seven were self-developed. Nurse educators or faculties of nursing, who are experienced in pedagogies and assessment strategies, developed most of the programs. More importantly, they are familiar with the clinical context which the intervention is implemented. More than half of the programs were developed based on one or more theoretical framework. A theoretical framework provides background for the development of each

Conclusion

The systematic review provides insightful information on online learning programs for preceptors, especially the contents of the programs, modes of delivery, and the uniqueness of each program. The studies reviewed and synthesized the online learning programs and explored the experiences of the preceptors. Such comprehensive information will assist in revising existing or developing new educational programs for preceptors. Clinical nurse leaders and nursing academics are responsible for

Contribution

Study design: XVW, WW, KHST.

Data collection: XVW, YSC, KHST.

Data analysis: XVW, YSC, KHST.

Manuscript writing and reviewing: XVW, YSC, KHST, WW.

Funding Statement

The research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have declared no potential conflict of interest.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the National University Health System Medical Publications Support Unit, Singapore, for assistance in professionally editing the language of this manuscript.

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