Nursing Preceptorship: Strengthening Workforce Readiness and Retention

Nursing workforce shortages remain a pressing issue for healthcare organizations across the country. While new graduates enter the workforce each year, the challenge lies in preparing them for the complexity of real-world patient care while maintaining staff morale, patient safety, and organizational standards. One proven method to build workforce readiness and professional confidence is a nursing preceptorship program.

A nursing preceptorship pairs a new nurse or nurse transitioning to a new specialty with an experienced nurse, called a preceptor, who provides structured guidance, support, and feedback over a designated time. This article examines what a nursing preceptorship entails, how it benefits healthcare organizations, the attributes of successful programs, and how organizations can develop or strengthen their approach.

What Is a Nursing Preceptorship?

A nursing preceptorship is a formal learning experience in which an experienced nurse works closely with a newly hired or transitioning nurse for a defined period, typically ranging from several weeks to a few months. Unlike general orientation, which often focuses on policies, procedures, and documentation systems, a preceptorship centers on clinical decision-making, time management, communication, and role development in the practice setting.

What Can Preceptees Expect During a Preceptorship?

While no two programs are identical, preceptees generally follow a progressive learning arc that helps build confidence and clinical competence over time. Early stages often focus on observation and shadowing, with new nurses gradually taking on more direct responsibilities under supervision. As the preceptorship continues, they begin managing full patient loads, practicing documentation, leading handoffs, and responding to more complex clinical scenarios.

Organizations can strengthen program consistency by clearly outlining this progression from day one. Establishing weekly or phase-based milestones gives both the preceptor and preceptee a shared structure to follow, while also supporting performance evaluations and communication. When expectations are clearly defined, new nurses are more likely to feel supported—and better prepared to transition into independent roles.

Preceptors act as role models, coaches, and evaluators. Their responsibilities include:

• Teaching unit-specific workflows and patient care protocols

• Offering constructive feedback

• Supporting emotional adjustment to clinical demands

• Modeling interprofessional communication

• Encouraging reflective practice

In contrast to mentoring, which is typically informal and longer-term, preceptorships are structured and time-limited, designed to build competency in a specific context.

Organizational Benefits of Nursing Preceptorship

Implementing or strengthening a nursing preceptorship program can address a range of challenges for healthcare organizations, particularly in workforce development and retention. Evidence suggests preceptorships play a meaningful role in:

Reducing Turnover

New nurses are at the highest risk of leaving the profession within their first year. Early-career attrition rates range from 18 to 30 percent in the first year and up to 57 percent by the second year. Preceptorship programs help mitigate this risk by offering structured support, clinical guidance, and social integration from day one.¹ When implemented effectively, preceptorships have been associated with one-year retention rates as high as 87 to 90 percent,² highlighting their potential to strengthen early-career commitment and reduce costly turnover.

Supporting Patient Safety

Structured onboarding with a designated preceptor has been shown to improve clinical decision-making, reduce error rates, and improve overall care quality. A new nurse may know the steps to perform a procedure, but learning how to prioritize care, communicate in high-pressure moments, or handle nuanced patient scenarios often requires real-time coaching.

In addition, systematic reviews confirm that preceptorships significantly improve new nurses’ clinical competence, an essential foundation for safe, independent practice.³

Strengthening Workforce Capacity

Preceptorships give experienced nurses an opportunity to expand their own leadership skills while supporting team cohesion. They also help organizations maintain continuity of care and productivity, particularly when onboarding large cohorts of nurses or opening new units.

Characteristics of Successful Nursing Preceptorship Programs

Strong preceptorship programs share several key attributes, regardless of setting or size:

Clear Role Definition and Training

Not all experienced nurses make strong preceptors. Effective programs include preceptor training that covers adult learning principles, feedback techniques, conflict resolution, and preceptee assessment. Clarifying expectations (such as length of preceptorship, documentation processes, and responsibilities) supports accountability and consistent quality.

Structured Learning Objectives

Each preceptorship should include defined goals based on clinical competencies, communication skills, and organizational values. These goals should be tailored to the nurse’s role (e.g., med-surg, ICU, outpatient) and measured through observation, documentation, and reflective discussion.

Dedicated Time and Resources

Precepting is time-intensive. To avoid burnout or resentment, organizations should adjust preceptor workloads to accommodate teaching responsibilities. Some programs provide financial incentives, recognition, or career development pathways for those who serve as preceptors.

Ongoing Evaluation and Feedback

Feedback must flow in both directions. Preceptors should provide frequent, actionable input to their preceptees, and program managers should gather data on program satisfaction, nurse retention, and clinical readiness. This helps refine future cohorts and identify areas for improvement.

Building or Strengthening a Preceptorship Program

Whether your organization is launching a preceptorship for the first time or looking to refine an existing one, several steps can support program success:

• Assess workforce needs: Understand turnover trends, hiring patterns, and high-need units to determine where preceptorships will have the most impact.

• Engage nursing leadership: Nurse managers and educators should be involved in preceptor selection and program oversight.

• Align with organizational goals: Link preceptorship outcomes to broader initiatives such as Magnet designation, quality improvement, or strategic staffing models.

• Leverage technology: Platforms such as learning management systems (LMS) and mobile apps can support documentation, feedback, and communication between preceptors and preceptees.

• Track outcomes: Use metrics such as new nurse retention, preceptor participation rates, patient safety indicators, and satisfaction scores to measure program value and justify continued investment.

Investing in Long-Term Workforce Resilience

Beyond clinical skill development, preceptorships can help reduce the most common risk factors driving early-career turnover. Research shows that new nurses are more likely to stay in the profession when they feel supported by peers and supervisors, experience manageable job demands, and develop confidence through structured support.¹ A well-designed preceptorship program helps mitigate these stressors, offering a stable foundation during the most vulnerable phase of a nurse’s career.

Nursing preceptorship is more than a transitional tool—it is a workforce strategy. Organizations that invest in structured preceptorship programs not only support clinical readiness and patient safety but also build long-term staffing resilience. For healthcare systems facing high turnover, growing patient complexity, and increased pressure to maintain quality care, a well-run preceptorship program can be a foundational part of success.

Medbridge offers online education, clinical skill refreshers, and preceptor development resources designed to support organizations as they invest in workforce training and retention.

References

1. Lyu, X. C., Huang, S. S., Ye, X. M., Zhang, L. Y., Zhang, P., & Wang, Y. J. (2024). What influences newly graduated registered nurses' intention to leave the nursing profession? An integrative review. BMC nursing, 23(1), 57. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10797949/

2. Berthelsen, C., & Hansen, C. A. (2025). Content and Effect of Introduction Programmes to Increase Retention and Decrease Turnover of Newly Graduated Nurses in Hospitals: Umbrella Review. Journal of clinical nursing, 34(4), 1149–1169. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11933529/

3. Ke, Y. T., Kuo, C. C., & Hung, C. H. (2017). The effects of nursing preceptorship on new nurses' competence, professional socialization, job satisfaction and retention: A systematic review. Journal of advanced nursing, 73(10), 2296–2305. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28398636/