title: Is preceptorship valuable?
abstract: Preceptorship programmes for newly-qualified practitioners have been advocated by the UKCC (1999), therefore a preceptorship programme for midwives was introduced in Oxfordshire in 2000. The programme consisted of a three-month placement in a delivery suite (DS) and a three-month placement in an antenatal/postnatal ward environment. In 2001, it was decided to offer newly-registered midwives the opportunity to work in a community setting, rotating between DS and community on a fortnightly basis. To ascertain whether a community placement in a preceptorship programme provided the right balance between consolidation of skills and confidence, a research project was undertaken. This took the form of semi-structured interviews carried out before and after the completion of the amended programme. The project was conducted over a one-year period by the midwifery practice development team. A professional transcriber interpreted the interviews and the data was analysed by an independent reviewer. The research sample consisted of ten newly-qualified midwives and four preceptors. Findings identified that midwives valued and desired a period of initial support to consolidate their skills and knowledge, which helped to increase their confidence in their abilities regardless of the placement setting. Interestingly, midwives who had opted for a community placement continued to view childbirth as a normal life event, whereas hospital-based preceptees found their philosophy of care had changed at the end of the six-month programme. However, the midwives who had opted for a community placement found the fortnightly rotation too fragmented. The preceptorship programme also had a positive influence on retention rates, which may have been as a result of the midwives feeling more supported. In response to the findings of this research project, it was concluded that the community placement needed to be altered to a three-month placement, but should still be available to newly-qualified midwives as a placement option.
authors.affiliation: Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boon
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Maggie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wainwright
authors.forename: Sian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Warriner
authors.forename: Vicky
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Currer-Briggs
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000592:standards; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000451:nursing*; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008880:Midwifery / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D011181:Postnatal Care / Q000592:standards*; D011231:Preceptorship; D011247:Pregnancy; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013338:Students, Nursing; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors