Group supervision to strengthen nurses in their preceptor role in the bachelor nursing education – Perceptions before and after participation

BackgroundA collaborative project was carried out at four bachelor nursing colleges in Sweden and Norway, to support preceptors in the clinical fields by means of group supervision.The aim of this study was to investigate the preceptors' views on their own ability and satisfaction in the role before and after taking part in group supervision during one year and to describe their perception of the supervision model used.MethodForty-five preceptors participated in the study. Baseline and endpoint questionnaires were used for data collection.ResultsBefore taking part in group supervision most preceptors expressed that they were content with their ability and knowledge with regards to the preceptor role. Despite this most of them considered that the participation had increased their ability to supervise students, and more than half of them considered that it also had promoted to their personal development. At the end of the project a majority of them had positive experiences of group supervision. Most of the structure and climate factors in the supervision model were considered important and almost all were highly realised. Conclusion: The study showed that group supervision could be a valuable tool to provide support to clinical preceptors in bachelor nursing education.