student provided incentives to preceptors?

[sasparilla]

I just wanted to get opinions on a practice I recently became aware of in my city. It seems that one nursing school provides to any nurse who agrees to be a preceptor to any of their students who are hired as GN's a palm pilot, a laptop computer and $1000. This is the only nursing school out of three programs here that do this. Do you think this gives incentive for facilities to hire more of their new nurses from this particular school?

How fair do you believe this to be? Also would this practice create a disadvantage to any new hires from the other schools who do NOT do this? If this was offered to you, do you think that you might not be as rigorous with any student that came from this school due to a sense of obligation for the gifts that you received?

I believe that the hospitals give extra pay to their nurses who agree to precept, which I can understand since precepting can make a nurses life a lot more complicated. But I'd never heard of this before. Is this common?

[caliotter3]

I see a breach of professional ethics here.

[KellNY, RN]

Wow. I call no bueno. You're going to have people who have no business precepting doing so just for the goodies. You'll get quantity alright, but quality? I can't see those numbers rising. And that won't benefit the GN or the nursing school.

As a GN I'd be annoyed--I paid a LOT of money for my degree-and if this college has so much extra that they can afford all of that, then maybe that should have been reflected in the tuition.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I think there are better wasys for schools to work with hospitals and practicing nurses to help them with the education of their students. This example is not the right way to go about it.

[sasparilla]

Actually, the money for these goodies is built into the student's tuition, so the students are the one's paying for it. I wonder if anyone of them would have rather have kept the money and had to add even more to their student loans?

[KellNY, RN]

Actually, the money for these goodies is built into the student's tuition, so the students are the one's paying for it. I wonder if anyone of them would have rather have kept the money and had to add even more to their student loans?

Well, that's what I'm saying-that if the school had this "extra" money, it should have been shaved off the tuition.

[trulypampered]

The preceptors here get 30 CE credits.

I agree that their should eb a reduction in those students tuition.

[KellNY, RN]

The preceptors here get 30 CE credits.

That's a good idea. Here in NY, though, that wouldn't be as effective as we do not require CEUs to maintain licensure.

At my hospital, we're a teaching hospital and it's pretty much part and parcel with getting hired. You agree with work with an help train students. Now, as far as being a preceptor (for the senior practicum, not just the reg. clinicals), most floors have at least one RN who volunteers for a number of reasons--she likes to train/teach, she likes to be able to have the SN do some basic Pt care while she can catch up on charting, etc. There are no financial incentives, though the ADN will often give you a coupon for a free coffee/tea from the gift shop (lol).

I personally LOVE students in general and have them tag along with me and help out as much as possible. We've never had someone doing his/her senior practicum though.