Preceptorship: facilitating student nurse education in the Republic of Ireland

Nursing is a practice-based discipline and clinical practice is considered to be an integral part of nurse education. The pivotal role that preceptors play in the socialization, teaching and assessing of student nurses, is vital in helping students to integrate theory with practice. However, some evidence suggests that there can be minimal contact between the stakeholders involved in the students' education process, namely the university lecturers and preceptors. The focus of this article is on exploring the literature on models of support for student nurses with particular emphasis on the concept of preceptorship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of British Journal of Nursing is the property of MA Healthcare Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)