From left to right: Alma Nova-Eversole,
RN, Pauline Uy, RN, and Melissa Macasieb-Paat, RN. All
three women are critical care Preceptors.
Taking on the responsibility of training a new employee nurse
is always a challenge; having nurses who can expertly complete
that task is invaluable. The Medical/Surgical and Critical Care
Programs at South San Francisco are fortunate enough to have
an entire team of outstanding nurses who do just that. Many
in this group of sixteen nurses regularly work as Preceptors,
some for a number of years. Some are precepting this year, or
are planning to precept soon. Altogether, the team continually
does an exceptional job, and in 2001 they were named a Kaiser
Extra Mile Hero Team.
"If you look at the definition of an extra mile hero,
it's someone who goes the extra mile to support patient care
and support the younger nurses, and they definitely meet that
mark in my book," said Susan Hantz, Clinical Nurse Educator
at the South San Francisco (SSF) facility. "I think being
a preceptor is one of the hardest things you can do in a job.
You need to make sure the work is done correctly, but you're
working with a novice. You need a great deal of skill to know
when a novice nurse can do things and when to step in."
The team's managers share a high opinion of the nurses' expertise.
"The Preceptors we choose have strong critical skills,
they want to give the best care, and are proud of the care
they give" said Anne-Maree Senan, PCS Nurse Manager at
the SSF facility. "They've got strong clinical skills,
good time management, they love to teach, and they also learn
from the new nurses."
The Preceptors are a diverse group. Some have been working
with novice nurses for over a decade, others just started
a few years ago. The team's personalities and working styles
are varied, and their reasons for choosing a nursing career
are all unique. Despite their differences, everyone on the
team is dedicated to delivering quality patient care. This
commitment includes helping new nurses learn the ropes.
"These nurses bring strong skills to the table,"
said Sheila Gilson, Service Director of Patient Care. "These
are nurses who are really committed to patient care and to
nursing. They are invested in making sure that the new nurses
will provide the same standard of care and share the same
professional values."
Gwen Schneider, RN, with two new
graduate nurses. From left to right: Teresa Coffaro, RN,
critical care training summer 2001, Schneider, and Maryann
Dario, RN, critical care new grad fall 2001.
Part of teaching new nurses to deliver quality patient care
is being able to identify with the preceptees. "You can't
feel successful as a beginning nurse-it's all so new,"
said Gwen Schneider, RN. "I thought I could make new nurses
feel more comfortable, even if I couldn't answer every question.
I could give them the resources and the confidence to work because
I knew that's what I needed when I started."
"When I was a new grad myself, I knew you needed to
have a good person to teach you to be a good nurse,"
said Edita Baro, RN. "I wanted to be that person for
the new grads so they could get a good feel for what nursing
is."
Precepting can form strong relationships
and help motivate education
For their managers, watching the team turn into outstanding
Preceptors was a personal source of pride. "Many of these
preceptors were our new grads," said Hantz. "We
do take a great deal of pride in our nurses and it is a special
moment when we ask them to become a preceptor. Precepting
is a recognition of their clinical excellence."
Schneider believes that great relationships can grow from
a Preceptor/Preceptee grouping. She has become best friends
with some of her former Preceptees and finds that the experience
of precepting can help make a department stronger. "It
makes your whole unit a team when you come up through the
ranks and then precept new people," said Schneider. "I
become very protective of people I've precepted because if
they don't know something, it could be my fault."
Although they were recognized as a team, the Preceptors spent
most of their time working one-on-one with their preceptees.
Knowing there was a supportive structure in place made things
easier. Each Preceptor/Preceptee unit met with a nurse manager
and clinical educator once a week for feedback. The nurses
also found that being able to interact with the other team
members helped them become better teachers.
"It's nice to be able to talk to the other Preceptors,"
said Baro. "If I have a preceptee and it seems like she's
not getting something, I can go to another Preceptor and find
out another way of teaching it that can help my preceptee
learn."
Rhonda Satterfield, RN, believes that teaching new nurses
has helped her keep learning as well. "I'm more educated
than I was because I have to answer my preceptees' questions,"
said Satterfield. "Being a Preceptor has motivated me
to stay up-to-date on things."
Schneider found that she had to research topics too. "I
had to call other units and ask doctors and go online for
answers," she said. "I had to look into the 'whys'
of things, because nurses would ask why we did something and
I couldn't just say 'because that's what I was taught.' I
think it made me a much better nurse."
All of the nurses agree that encouragement is a huge part
of precepting. "We have to motivate these new nurses
to stay in nursing and help them have a positive experience
when they first get here," said Satterfield. "We
want them to stay after we train them."
Through their enthusiasm, their devotion, and their extra
efforts, the Preceptors at the SSF facility continue to enhance
the training program for graduates and help new nurses obtain
the skills needed for high quality care.
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