The senior preceptorship as a method for anticipatory socialization of baccalaureate nursing students.

This study supported the effectiveness of a senior preceptorship experience as a method for promoting anticipatory socialization to the working role of professional nurses. Anticipatory socialization was evidenced by changes in role expectations and self-image. Corwin's Nursing Role Conception Scale was administered to 103 generic baccalaureate nursing students immediately prior to and after their final clinical course, a preceptorship experience. A significant decrease in perceived role deprivation (p less than .01) and a significant increase in the work-centered role models (p less than .01) indicated changes in students' self-image and role expectations. For many nurses, the most stressful time of their career was the period immediately after graduation. A difficult period of transition from student to practitioner is not unique to nursing. But, it seems to be more of a problem for baccalaureate nurse graduates than for other nurse graduates (Schmalenberg & Kramer, 1979). Pregraduation preceptorship is an increasingly popular approach for dealing with this problem. While nursing education, service, and students applaud the preceptorship experience as easing role transition, there is little research data to document this belief.