Preceptorships In Nursing Programs

VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN · Mar 15, 2006

Our nursing program currently has students do a preceptorship component in the last course. I was wondering-are there any preceptorhship programs that allow students to pass meds or do noninvasive procedures without the nurse standing right by the student?
Ellie

The student should always be under the close supervision of the preceptor. In my experience, the student always has the preceptor "check off" any and every medication before the student administers it. The preceptor does not have to be physically standing over the student as the student administers the medication, unless it is something very invasive and high risk (such as IV push medications or IM injections). Once the student has been satisfactorily checked off on a skill (such as hanging an IV piggyback, giving a subcutaneous injection, putting in a Foley Catheter, or priming IV tubing), the preceptor does not have to physically be standing next to the student. However, the preceptor should always be readily and quickly available (i.e., not away on another floor, or out to lunch). In my experience, certain skills always require the preceptor to be present: putting in IV's, drawing labs, IM injections.

neneRN, BSN, RN · Mar 16, 2006

During preceptorship and even clinicals, nursing students from our local college can perform any skills that a PCA or tech can do without direct supervision, including foleys, lab draws, EKGs. If it is a skill that requires a license, then the supervising nurse must be nearby; nearby meaning quickly accessible/on the unit; however, I stay in the room with the student for any kind of "nurse only" procedure.