Nursing preceptorship experiences in rural settings: "I would work here for free".

Aims: The primary aim was to capture the experience of preceptorship in a rural setting, via photographic narrative. It is hoped that this narrative will highlight areas that require greater support; communicate the experience of rural preceptorship for students, educators and policymakers; and emphasize the benefits of this experience for these current and future stakeholders.

Methods: In a photovoice study, preceptors (n = 4) and students (n = 4) in rural, Western Canadian health care settings were given digital cameras and asked to provide images and commentary about the experience of preceptorship.

"Failure to assign failing grades": issues with grading the unsafe student.

In a grounded theory study examining the process of precepting an unsafe student, it was found that preceptors assigned passing grades to students who in fact should not have passed. Although preceptors perceived their role as gatekeepers for the profession, by not assigning failing grades to students who should not have passed a course, essentially they were abdicating their responsibility. Indeed, the simple act of assuming responsibility for precepting a student implies professional as well as pedagogical accountability.

Challenges and opportunities of international clinical practica.

International clinical practica are a strategy to integrate a global dimension in nursing curricula and achieve culturally sensitive nursing practice. In this paper, a review of the history and development of international practica for nursing students is presented, and research evaluating the effectiveness and impact of international experiences is analyzed. A description of experiences working with Canadian nursing students is used to highlight the challenges and opportunities inherent to international clinical practica.

An inventory of nursing education research.

Purpose: To describe nursing education research literature in terms of quality, content areas under investigation, geographic location of the research, research designs utilized, sample sizes, instruments used to collect data, and funding sources.

Design And Methods: Quantitative and qualitative research literature published between January 1991 and December 2000 were identified and classified using an author-generated Relevance Tool.

Findings: 1286 articles were accepted and entered into the inventory, and an additional 22 were retained as references as they were either literature reviews or meta-analyses.