Background
Dr. Patricia Benner, who authored the book From Novice to Expert (1984), adapted a nursing model of the Dryfus Learning Theory (1980), five levels of clinical competence. As each skill level develops, critical thinking also progresses through the stages she outlined: novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, expert. During nursing academia, preceptorship is the last segment of the curriculum when a student can learn firsthand from an expert in the level and area of interest to the student. Preceptor assignments occur in nursing school, at each level, associate, bachelor, masters, and doctorate levels.
Recommendation
I strongly urge students at all levels to resist, not being fully engaged in the preceptorship experience. This unique interval, especially at the higher levels, is the best opportunity for exposure that a student will have to gain insights that one would not usually have once in the workforce. Take the time to ask questions, clarify, analyze, gather information, and formulate opinions and ideas. It is a moment in time that one will not have again in the hustle and bustle of the day to day in the field after the formal academic environment ends.
Coaching tip
I said all this to say, “you may not know what you don’t know to ask.” Mentors, consider anticipating the unasked questions of your mentees and guide them to those answers. Mentees maintain your spirit of inquiry.
Food for thought
Throughout my career, I’ve had both formal and informal mentors. I’m guilty of tuning out some of my mentor’s old-fashioned opinions, and I thought some of their ideas were out of touch with the times. However, looking back, there was wisdom for me to glean from their expressions of “how it used to be.” What I am seeing more and more now as an educator, is the method to their madness. Though I was able to skip the madness of the 500 paged handwritten care plans, I did not escape the NANDA citations for every nursing intervention noted on those nursing school care plans. These exercises drilled into me the many “whys” behind our practice. Are we asking enough, “whys” now? Do we seek out our answers, or do we wonder without the intent to look for an answer?