Implementing Preceptorship in Baccalaureate Nursing Program in Middle-Low-Income Countries: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND- Preceptorship is critical for developing the next generation of nurses to provide high-quality patient care. However, challenges in implementing preceptorship programs in low-middle-income countries (LMICs) exist, affecting the quality of nursing care provided to patients. OBJECTIVES- To (1) explore the extent of literature on key strategies for effective implementation of undergraduate preceptorship nursing education in LMICs and (2) identify existing evidence and gaps in the literature about the implementation of preceptorship in LMICs. METHOD- This scoping review followed Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) methodological framework. We used the following databases- CINHAL, PubMed, MEDLINE, and ERIC to conduct a systematic search of articles in 2023. The search strategies were focused on the following aspects- “preceptorship,” “baccalaureate nursing program,” “implementation strategies,” and “Low-middle-income countries.” Criteria for including the studies were a) preceptorship in undergraduate/ baccalaureate nursing programs, b) primary quantitative and qualitative studies, and c) implementation of preceptorships in LMICs. RESULT- Twenty-three (n=23) studies met the inclusion criteria. Five themes were identified from the analysis of the data- 1) Setting clear guidelines for preceptorship, 2) Preceptor professional development, 3) Strengthening preceptor roles in the development of future nursing force, 4) Preceptorship experience in clinical placement environment, and 5) Collaborative approach to preceptorship. CONCLUSION- This scoping review highlighted the importance of structured guidelines for preceptorship programs in elevating the quality of nursing education in LMICs. There is a paucity of evidence on preceptor professional development related to integrating evidence-based pedagogy in student supervision.