About a year and a half ago, leaders at St. Louis-based Ascension identified a critical need to revamp nurse preceptor training.
"We looked and said the nurses who are currently precepting are the ones who came out during the pandemic, and we know during the pandemic there were gaps in their training," Maureen Chadwick, PhD, MSN, RN, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at Ascension, told Becker's.
The 136-hospital system launched a comprehensive, evidence-based overhaul of its preceptor training models. The initiative directly addressed feedback from nurses new to precepting, who emphasized the need for a greater focus on mentorship and onboarding – not just the transition to bedside clinical practice.
As of January, more than 3,200 nurses have completed the training program to become certified preceptors. Ascension's investments in nurse education and development, paired with efforts to address the fears and anxieties many nurses felt about mentoring novice peers, have led to a significant increase in interest in preceptor roles, Dr. Chadwick said.
"These are people self-selecting in, which is great, because it's a much different experience for the new orientee than someone being forced to do something that they don't want to do," she said. "But now that they feel confident and prepared, that's the game changer."
Nurse preceptors play a critical role in supporting new graduates through the transition from student to professional nurse, and thus in curbing turnover among first-year nurses, which averaged 24% nationally in 2024. However, many hospitals have historically struggled to incentivize nurses to become preceptors, as the role requires balancing the demands of patient care with teaching responsibilities. Leaders have explored a myriad of strategies to expand the preceptor pool in recent years, including formalizing training programs, and incentive and recognition programs.