Nurses interns perception on the preceptors role in enhancing the interns clinical competence and transition to become competent staff nurses in health care settings in the Sultanate of Oman

Abstract EN

Background : The internship period is considered the mechanism that faciltates easy transiton into the role of begining-level staf nurse in an acute-care seting.

During this transitonal period, it is not only the learning and refinement of technical skils that interns must master, but also includes maturation into the role of being a profesionaly licensed individual and the inherent responsibilties that acompany licensure (Duchsher, 201).

Acording to Becroft, Kunzman, and Krozek (201).

It is through the transiton proces that he interns acquire the value, atitudes, and goals fundamental to the nursing profesion and a sense of ocupational identiy.

Objectives : To ases the perception of new nursing graduates regarding the preceptor’s influence in enhancing their clinical performance, competence and faciltate graduates' transiton.

Methods : A descriptive quantiative design Sample : 73 nurses’ interns selected from diferent hospitals.

Purposive sampling method was used.

Results : The findings of this study revealed that, the graduates' perceived that, the preceptors do play a vital role in faciltating the graduates' transiton in the clinical setings.

They also agred that, the preceptors have a great influence among the graduates' in terms of enhancing their clinical performance, confidence, responsibilty, acountabilty and foster in them positve skils to be competent nurses in their field of practice.

The findings also sugested that, asigning one preceptor yielded beter outcomes than asigning multiple preceptors.

In fact, high level of satisfaction was obtained from the graduates with one preceptor more than the other group who were asigned multiple ones.

Conclusion : The internship period is considered a critcal period for the new graduates.

Having wel planed program to suport he graduates as wel as asigning one preceptor to them faciltates their transiton and enhances their clinical performance.

The results ilustrated that, the preceptors play a significant role to instil confidence related to skil development and nursing decision making.

In aditon to that, preceptor's continuity with one graduate builds up a strong relationship betwen them which resulted towards the end in high level of satisfaction among the graduates.

Recommendation : It is recommended to asign one preceptor only to the intern and shadow the preceptor in al shifts.

Furthermore, a Comprehensive orientation program should be organized for the graduates and preceptors as wel as a preceptorship programs in order to prepare al preceptors for their oles.