4 Strategies to Enhance Preceptor Development in the OR

A surge in hiring following pandemic turnover left surgical preceptors stretched thin at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.  

Clinical Nurse Specialist, Kizzie Charles, MS, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CNOR, recognized the potential for preceptor burnout and more turnover. To address her concerns, she collaborated with nurse educators Merle Hendricks, MSN, RN, CNOR, and Shelly Mason, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CNOR, to develop a solution. They ultimately created a structured mentorship program and training for preceptor development.

But they didn’t do it alone.

What makes the project unique is that they brought novice and experienced preceptors into the program development process, Charles says. “We knew the most effective plan was to give our preceptors a way to help create their own preceptor program.”

And their approach is proving successful. They’ve doubled their team of preceptors to 24—2 per orientee, and their survey data reflects that preceptors are highly satisfied in their role.

The team presented the poster “Improving Preceptor Development in the OR” at AORN Expo 2024. Use the AORN Expo Virtual Pass to see all the posters.

The team is eager to share their insights and offers these four strategies to assist others in achieving comparable success:

1. Create a Defined Path for OR Precepting

They began reviewing literature on best practices for preceptor training. Then, the nurses observed current preceptors in action to help identify their needs and create a framework for a new preceptor training program.

Next, they presented these ideas to the preceptors to finalize. “This allowed them to be fully engaged in the process and ask for what they needed,” Mason explains. The preceptors added details around the education they wanted, the mentorship they needed, and the milestones they aimed to achieve to prepare orientees for independent practice. 

The first Periop 101 Preceptor Pathway was launched in late 2023 in preparation for a new cohort of 12 orientees. Important elements of the pathway included:

• Weekly reporting to Charles, Hendricks, and Mason to track precepting progress.
• A hand-off tool between preceptors once an orientee completes their first 12 weeks with one service line and transitions to a new preceptor for orientation in their second service line.

2. Train Preceptors in Adult Learning and OR Orientation

Education was provided to preceptors before they met their orientees. This training covered:

• Evidence-based approaches for adult learners
• Skills for effective communication and feedback between preceptors and orientees
• Clearly defined roles and responsibilities for preceptors and orientees
• A timeline for precepting milestones as orientees’ progress through Periop 101

3. Build a Safe Space for Preceptor Peer Support and Mentoring

A monthly Preceptor Corner gives preceptors a chance to meet, troubleshoot, and discuss any challenges. This includes addressing issues such as mismatches between orientees and preceptors.

“This safe space for preceptors to connect by themselves, with support from the CNS/NPDS (Perioperative Nursing Professional Development Specialist) team, has been one of the best elements of our new program,” according to the nurses. Hendricks says it’s given the preceptors a chance “to share their true feelings, build bonds, and learn from one another.”

4. Offer Evidence and Skills for Ongoing Preceptor Growth

Every preceptor and orientee is granted access to electronic AORN guidelines and OR policies and procedures. “This is to help standardize what our orientees learn in line with their Periop 101 didactic education,” Charles says. “It equips our preceptors with a valuable tool to answer questions on the fly that align with policy expectations.”

Additionally, each preceptor has direct access to nursing communication education classes. “Sometimes the toughest part of precepting is having the skills to communicate feedback in an honest way. Building these skills as needed has empowered our preceptors to grow on their own terms and their own timing,” Charles says.