Because of the complexity of burn injuries, few nurses have the knowledge, expertise, or skills needed to care for this unique patient population. This lack of experience requires every new staff nurse to undergo extensive training with an individual preceptor. Ensuring that all new nurses receive identical and thorough training can be challenging, particularly during times of staffing fluctuations. Despite best efforts, mismatching between preceptor and preceptee may occur based on personality, communication, and teaching/learning styles, which can contribute to less than ideal training experiences for both parties.

Our 21-bed burn intensive care unit (ICU) recently experienced an influx of new hires. From May 2016 through September 2016, 19 new nurses started on the unit. More than half were new graduates and only 2 had previous burn experience. Because precepting lasts 12 to 20 weeks on the unit, preceptors felt overwhelmed and preceptees had less than ideal precepting experiences. Being...

You do not currently have access to this content.