ONLINE PRECEPTOR TRAINING MODULE TO IMPROVE THE CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

The purpose of this project was to improve Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist clinical educator’s knowledge, preceptor satisfaction, confidence, and comfort while precepting the Student Registered Nurse Anesthetist in the clinical setting. The project format was modeled after and adapted with permission from Dr. Mary Scott-Herring’s previous study. The in-person educational intervention from Dr. Mary Scott-Herring was adapted into an online education module to increase feasibility, ease, and cost-effectiveness. The online education module was created following a review of the needs assessment results collected from 44 Kaiser Permanente School of Anesthesia clinical coordinators. Pre and post-test data was collected before and after completion of the online module. Given the small sample size, non-parametric statistical tests best represented the data. A Spearman rank order correlation test revealed an inverse relationship between the number of years an individual had been a nurse and their confidence in precepting a Student Registered Nurse Anesthetist from a different ethnic background, suggesting generation gaps may exist in the clinical arena. Further studies with a different Likert scale, larger sample size, and incorporation of in-person and online learning may better determine the effect of a precepting module on Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist clinical educators in the future. Due to the limited research on this topic, this study demonstrates the importance of continuing to discover innovative methods to support the key educators of Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists in the clinical setting.