Academic‐practice collaboration in clinical education: A qualitative study of academic educator and clinical preceptor views

Abstract

Academic-practice collaborations between academic educators and preceptors are important to ensure the success of clinical education. This study explored the perceptions of academic educators and preceptors on their collaborations in a transitionto-practice program for nursing students. A qualitative exploratory study was undertaken with a purposive sample of 12 preceptors and 13 academic educators across three hospitals and one university in Singapore. Individual interviews were conducted. Four main themes emerged from the thematic data analysis: "hierarchical communication" that prevents academic educators and preceptors from communicating directly with each other, "uncertainty about learning objectives" among preceptors, "discrepancies in clinical assessments" due to a lack of support for preceptors in the assessment process, and "not knowing each other's practice," which could result in theory-practice gaps. The findings reflect the need to strengthen collaborations between academic educators and preceptors through joint teaching and assessments in clinical or simulated settings. This will provide opportunities to learn from each other's practice as well as build rapport, which are critical elements in reducing theory-practice divides and decreasing hierarchical levels between academic educators and preceptors.

The relationship between clinical placement duration and students' satisfaction with the quality of supervision and learning environment: A mediation analysis

“…Additionally, the implementation of higher education has transformed the role of nurse teachers, who have become more responsible for the support of learners in practice placements (Fisher, 2005), and self‐learning has become an essential issue within this new learning context (Alotaibi, 2016). Dev et al (2020) pointed out that the presence of a nurse teacher in clinical settings and avoidance of hierarchical communication between supervisors and nurse teachers could enhance clinical education. Saukkoriipi et al (2020) highlighted the importance of the supervisors and nurse teachers performing the final nursing student assessments jointly.…”

Effectiveness of an online program using telesimulation for academic–clinical collaboration in preparing nurse preceptors’ roles

“…Preceptor quality is crucial in supporting future nurses in their transition experiences (Rush et al, 2019). Hence, the need for all preceptors to undergo professional development in preceptorship has been recommended to ensure the success of clinical nursing education (Dev et al, 2020; Ong et al, 2021). The importance of academic–clinical collaboration was emphasised to facilitate smooth transition to practice for students (Bowles et al, 2021; Gillett et al, 2021).…”

Exploring factors affecting the facilitation of nursing students to learn paediatric pain management in Rwanda: A descriptive qualitative study

“…In this regard, nurse educators and nurse preceptors play a fundamental role in facilitating nursing students’ acquisition and utilization of pain management competencies as the next generation of nurses. The role of nurse academicians and preceptors to collaboratively prepare nursing students achieving their professional goals and to develop work-ready nurses has been emphasized by other researchers [ 10 , 11 ].…”