Assessment of challenges facing preceptors at Kenyatta National Hospital Specialized Units

Abstract

Hospital settings provide the opportunity for students to care for clients under the direct supervision of preceptors (White, (2000). This allows the students to graduate as competent practitioners who can offer safe quality care to a variety of patients in various hospital settings. Kenyatta National Hospital Specialized unit receives quite a large number of students, among them are Masters Degree students, BScN students, post basic diploma students in specialty courses and ECN upgrading students. All these students corne from various colleges/universities with varied backgrounds of knowledge level and experiences. The students are usually paired up with preceptors who undertake clinical teaching to help the students achieve their learning objectives. However lately, preceptors had been noticed to be reluctant in taking up the role of precepting students. It was thought that the preceptors could have been experiencing some challenges which might have contributed to this behaviour, a situation that required to be investigated since it could compromise skills acquisition by learners. Literature search did not find any study done locally on challenges facing preceptor nurses. The main objective of this cross-sectional descriptive study was to assess challenges facing preceptors at KNH specialized units. It was conducted among preceptors with more than one year experience at KNH specialized units. A semi-structured questionnaire which was distributed to 113 randomly sampled preceptor nurses was used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. An interview guide was used to collect quantitative data from 5 unit managers/course managers in specialized units. The data obtained was checked, cleaned and corrected, before computing and then analyzed using SPSS software package version 17. Qualitative data was analyzed manually. Results of the study are presented in descriptive form using histograms, pie charts and frequency tables. Co- relation of the study variables was calculated using chi square. xii The reported challenges commonly experienced by preceptor nurses in the specialized units at KNH included heavy patient workload 72 (85.71 %), lack of adequate resources 50 (59.52%), high number of students attached to a preceptors 50 (59.52%) and acuity of patients condition 20 (23.81 %). Only 16.9% of the preceptors had formal training in preceptorship role. Motivation to serve as a preceptor was found to be statistically associated with the number of years a participant had served as a nurse. (X2= 11.30; p=0.01). These study results underlines the need to enhance preceptors hip expenences for preceptors at KNH specialized units in order to assist them foster professional socialization of students and help them achieve professional skills and confidence before graduating. Preceptorship orientation programmes should be implemented for preparation of preceptors before engaging them in precepting students. The hospital, nursing schools and other stakeholders should address the challenges facing preceptors at KNH specialized units. This will subsequently improve achievement of teaching and learning objectives for both preceptors and nursing students respectively. The cost of this study which took an estimated period of nine months was Ksh.105, 875. The study was funded by KNH, the researcher's employer.