No description available.

Magister Curationis / Background: A preceptor is defined as a specialized tutor who gives practical training to the student in the practice settings. Preceptors are frequently used to orientate nursing students to prepare them for their duties as professional nurses. In the Western Cape Province professional nurses attend a training programme to prepare them for the role of preceptor. Following the training it is unclear how the trained nurse preceptors' perceive their preparation for the role. The perceptions of preceptors may also influence their commitment to their role. Aims and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the interrelationships among preceptors' perceptions of benefits and rewards of, support for and commitment to the role. A conceptual framework guided the study which replicated previous studies that explored nurse preceptors' perceptions. Research Methodology: A descriptive, correlational design was used in this study to address the research questions. A quantitative approach was used to establish the perceptions of nurse preceptors' benefits, support and commitment to the role. The convenience sample was drawn from the preceptors (n=60) who completed the preceptor training programme at the University of the Western Cape. Instrumentation for the study included the following scales: Preceptor's Perceptions of Benefits and Rewards Scale, the Preceptor's Perceptions of Support Scale and the Commitment to the Preceptor Role Scale. Data analysis was performed through SPSS 20.0 to produce both descriptive and inferential statistics and to establish the relationships between the variables. Results and Recommendations: Statistical significance was examined and correlation between variables were analysed. The findings indicated that nurse preceptors were committed to their role: the workload of nurse preceptors needs to be refined and in-service training should be given to the nursing staff in relation to the goals of the nurse preceptor in the clinical and education units. The findings of this study will add to what is known about preceptors' perceptions and may assist in guiding the evaluation of the preceptorship programme. In addition, the results may inform nurse managers about the perceived benefits, rewards and support required by preceptors, thus adding to the body of knowledge about clinical teaching and learning. Ethical Considerations: Ethical clearance was sought from the Ethics Committee of the University of the Western Cape and informed consent was obtained from the participants. iv

Avhandlingens övergripande syfte var att klarlägga sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av sjuksköterskeprofessionen avseende omvårdnad, handledning och utveckling. Avhand‐lingen innefattar två kvalitativa (I, II) och två kvantitativa (III, IV) studier. Femton sjuksköterskor intervjuades sex år efter examen (I, II). Sjuksköterskorna var bland de första i Sverige med treårig sjuksköterskeutbildning. Handledare till sjuksköterske‐studenter i verksamhetsförlagd utbildning besvarade ett frågeformulär om handledning före/efter införd handledningsmodell (III, IV). I handledningsstudierna deltog 113 sjuksköterskor år 2000 (III) och 109 (III) respektive 142 (IV) sjuksköterskor år 2006. Svarsfrekvensen motsvarade ca 71% (III, IV). Innehållsanalys (I, II) och statistiska beräk‐ningar (III, IV) utfördes. Analysen visade att sjuksköterskor med treårig sjuksköterskeutbildning och sex års erfarenhet hade hittat sin nisch (II). Ingen ångrade sitt yrkesval. Många var under‐stimulerade samtidigt som de balanserade mellan påfrestning och stimulans (I) hinder och möjligheter (II). Flertalet var tveksamma till om de skulle orka arbeta fram till pensionsåldern (I, II). Inrättandet av en handledningsmodell som gav stöd till både sjuksköterskestudenter och handledare visade sig vara ett bra sätt i att organisera samverkan mellan handledare och lärare (III). Flertalet handledare var nöjda med det stöd de fått och upplevde säkerhet i handledarrollen (III). Emellertid, sjuksköterskor med och utan specialistutbildning värderade sjuksköterskestudenter olika (IV). Behovet av ett fokuserat lärande visades som ett mönster genom resultaten (I, II, III, IV). Avhandlingen visar genom resultaten att sjuksköterskor verkar i en komplex pro‐fession där det krävs skickliga sjuksköterskor för att klara det arbete sjuksköterskan är satt att sköta. För framgång i omvårdnad, handledning och utveckling är den lärande miljön central. En miljö där teori, praktik, forskning och reflektion vävs samman och där stöd, samverkan och professionell utveckling är ledstjärnor. Avhandlingen visar att en ökad samverkan mellan vårdverksamhet och universitet/högskola är nödvändig för att sjuksköterskeutbildningen och omvårdnadsarbetet skall kunna anpassas till hälso‐ och sjukvårdens ökade krav. Avhandlingens resultat kan användas som grund för fortsatta diskussioner med hänsyn till omvårdnadsvetenskap och beslut kring sjuksköterskans arbete såväl i utbildningssammanhang som i vårdverksamhet. / The overall aim of this thesis was to elucidate Registered Nurses’ (RNs) experiences of the nursing profession regarding nursing, preceptoring and professional development. The thesis includes two qualitative studies (I, II) and two quantitative studies (III, IV). Fifteen RNs were interviewed six years after graduation (I, II). These nurses were among the first in Sweden to graduate from the 3‐year Bachelor programme in nursing. Preceptors for nursing students in clinical education answered a questionnaire regarding experiences of the preceptor role before/after the introduction of a preceptor model (III, IV). In the studies related to preceptoring 113 RNs participated in 2000 (III), and 109 (III) respectively 142 (IV) RNs participated in 2006, with similar response rates of roughly 71% (III, IV). A content analysis (I, II), and statistic analysis (III, IV) were performed. The analysis showed that RNs graduates from the Bachelor programme in nursing, with six years nursing experience, had found their niche (II). None regretted the choice of profession. Several were under stimulated at the same time as they oscillated between strain and stimulation (I) and between obstacles and opportunities (II). The majority thought that growing old in nursing could prove to be difficult (I, II). The introduction of the preceptor model, with its support to both nursing students and preceptors, showed how to organize co‐operation between preceptors and teachers (III) successfully. The majority of the preceptors were satisfied with the support they had received and experienced a feeling of confidence in their role as preceptor (III). However, specialist nurses and non‐specialist‐nurses valued nursing students differently (IV). The necessity of adopting focused learning emerged as a pattern (I, II, III, IV). The results of the thesis show that RNs work in a complex profession that demands skilled nurses to accomplish the tasks they are required to perform. To successful nursing, preceptoring and development the teaching environment is pre‐dominant. It is an environment where theory, practice, research, feedback and reflection are interwoven and where support, co‐operation and professional development are the guiding‐stars. The thesis shows an increased co‐operation between the healthcare organization and university is necessary in order to adapt the nursing education and profession to the ever increasing demands in health care. The results of the thesis are a contribution to continued discussions regarding nursing science and RN’s work from both educational and health care context.