Understanding nurse preceptors’ experiences in a primary health care setting: A descriptive qualitative study

Aim This study sought to understand primary health care nurse preceptors’ experiences of precepting junior nurses. Background Nurse preceptors provide clinical teaching to nurses and pre‐registration nurses and play a supervisory role in their work. The demand for preceptors in the primary health care setting is on the rise, and there is a huge responsibility placed on them on top of their routine workload. Methods A descriptive qualitative approach was adopted, and purposive sampling was used to select the participants. 14 nursing preceptors across six polyclinics were interviewed. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results The analysis revealed three themes: (1) a vessel for transferring knowledge; (2) building a therapeutic relationship; and (3) overcoming organisational barriers. Conclusion In light of the study's findings, strategies to address the insufficient knowledge of nurse preceptors, lack of recognition and preceptorship opportunities must be developed. Implications for Nursing Management More attention and opportunities for nurse preceptors’ professional development such as courses to enhance their knowledge on educational and research developments as well as teaching seminars to maintain and build effective relationships with their preceptees. In addition, recognizing the role of nurse preceptors as a pillar of guiding the future generation of nurses and research to support nurse preceptors in their training cannot be undermined.