The Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program continues to grow and has allowed us to bring on more team members. This has been very exciting because it allows us to focus more attention on all the resources we provide. Supporting Nurses: Training for Preceptors, Mentors, and Coaches is one such resource that has huge potential to help nurse leaders and healthcare organizations, and I am excited to share that our new program coordinator, Jess Ociepka, MSN, RN-BC, will be engaging with participants more throughout this asynchronous course.   

We have written a few blogs about this topic over the years, including 6 Best Practices for Learning Champions, Preceptors, Mentors, Clinical Coaches, Oh My!, and Nurse Residency: Support is the Key to Success. In this blog, I am hoping you can get to know Jess a little better as she shares her background and thoughts about supporting nurses.  

Tell us about your experience supporting nurses.

I have been a nurse for almost 16 years and have been functioning in the preceptor role for about 15 of those years. I have experience supporting new graduate nurses, nurses new to a unit, nurses new to a facility, and nurses new to the clinical nurse educator role. I love supporting new nurses; you get to teach about the tasks (of course), but also you get to share what you love about the unit, the organization, and the role/profession of nursing. I also strive not to let the support of those new staff fall after they are working on their own but really strive to be a mentor for them moving forward. We aren’t in this alone, and I think it’s important to be reminded of that every day you work.

What are the biggest challenges learning champions face when supporting nurses?

I think one of the biggest challenges learning champions face when supporting nurses on the units is balancing support and independence. I think we all know that feeling – we want the new nurse to do things on their own, but we also want to make sure they are doing it right, or maybe just how we would do it! It’s hard to let them be independent in their practice, to find their flow and their routine, to challenge their critical thinking, but also to support them in the exact way they need. A common example is when you notice they miss something on their documentation. How do you handle this situation? Just fix it. Or maybe just tell the nurse exactly what is missing. It’s hard to know the right thing to do, and I think the answer depends on your learner, where they are at in their orientation/learning process, how they learn best, and how they are most receptive to feedback. Learning champions need flexibility and to be adaptable to the variety of learners and understand not every nurse is the same, and that’s certainly a challenge!

What is your favorite aspect of the Supporting Nurses Course?

I think it’s great to be able to come and go into the program as often as you need, and I love how the length of time to complete an item is identified. I really enjoy the Padlet, or discussion, aspect of the course too. This allows you to share your thoughts with others in the course and read through their suggestions/comments/ideas. It’s a great way to bring everyone together in an online platform. As you complete the course, I’m also curious to hear your favorite aspects or ways we can improve, so don’t hesitate to reach out with suggestions!

What types of learners do you think would benefit most from the course?  

All of them! Any nurses who currently are preceptors or those thinking about becoming a preceptor will benefit from this course – I think there really is something for every level of experience in this course, including information on burnout in the role of supporting nurses. I also think this course is very beneficial for those who are mentoring nurses (I.e., all of us!) or even those providing support on the unit. I have been precepting for several years, and I found the information useful and helpful! As nurses, we tend to know the value of continuing to learn and grow, and I think this course offers just that.  

If you had one recommendation for nurse leaders when it comes to supporting nurses during orientation, throughout nurse residency, and beyond, what would it be? 

It’s hard to pick just one, but I think it would be allowing flexibility. It’s important to remember adult learners are different, and there isn’t only 1 way to do (or teach) something. By understanding the newer nurses’ preferred way of learning, we can help them grow and learn in ways that work best for them. Don’t be afraid to give positive and negative feedback; I think nurses crave that, as we all want the best for our patients. 

We were all new nurses one day. I challenge you to reflect on what you needed as a new grad; what did your preceptor do that was helpful? What was a hinder? Take some of that into your practice when you’re working with supporting nurses.  

Supporting Nurses is available to both organizations and individuals. Our comprehensive curriculum uses microlearning techniques, including short videos, readings, self-assessments, and asynchronous discussions, bringing learning champions together as they apply the concepts of supporting nurses. Whether you use our curriculum as the foundation for your existing program or as a new effort to support the role of your preceptors, mentors, or coaches, you will find it is a cost-effective method that meets the needs of the modern learner.  

Enroll and complete the course today using your credit card or contact nicole-weathers@uiowa.edu for bulk enrollment and invoicing options.