Baccalaureate Program Evaluation, Preceptors, and Closing the Theory-Practice Gap: Is There a Connection?

Abstract

Curriculum evaluation and renewal is a cornerstone of nursing education. Systematic program evaluation in baccalaureate nursing education relies on feedback from a wide variety of stakeholders. Clinical preceptors represent an underutilized stakeholder group. Situated in both clinical practice and clinical education, preceptors have a unique and valuable perspective on the ability of the curriculum to prepare pre-licensure learners for professional practice. The author suggests that preceptor-stakeholders can be actively engaged in program evaluation: This kind of engagement relies on a paradigm shift from predominantly objectivist evaluation strategies to approaches that are more participatory and pluralistic. Readers will identify the significant role of clinical nursing preceptors as key stakeholders in BScN curriculum evaluation. Further, the author speculates that a pluralistic evaluation paradigm may help both nursing faculty and nurses in clinical practice understand the perspective of the other group, thus reducing the perceived theory-practice gap and creating more responsive baccalaureate nursing curricula.