Principles of Clinical Evaluation *

Preceptors sometimes neglect the evaluation aspect of the preceptor role because they "don't want to be the one to fail the student.  But, preceptors don't fail students or stall student's progress.  Instead, a student's performance meets, or fails to meet, criteria.  As a preceptor, you are in a better position than anyone else to collect the data that gives evidence of student competence.  And, as a preceptor, you have an opportunity to support professional practice standards and the credibility of the school of nursing.

Think of yourself as a video-recorder:  recording student performance and playing it back to compare with standards, to clarify and validate with faculty, and to give feedback to the student.  The student's response to your corrective feedback becomes part of your evaluation data.

Keep in mind that your primary role is teaching.  In the teaching process you will observe student practice and, in consultation with the faculty member, fit those observations into the evaluation framework.

Evaluating has two components:

• Identifying opportunities for improvement--both in the student's performance and in preceptor's teaching technique
• Summarizing patterns and trends in overall performance and comparing performance with standard

* Adapted, with permission, from Case, Betty.  (1999).  Advanced Practice Nurse Preceptor Workbook.  Chicago:  Niehoff School of Nursing, University of Chicago.