By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
One of the most challenging issues in acute care settings right now is managing preceptor burnout. As units have become more novice nurse dense, there are fewer experienced and expert staff to precept them. Many leaders tell me they see a version of “maternal attachment disorder” playing out on their units where burned out precetors invest less and less emotionally as new staff arrive (and depart more quickly) on their units.
Nurse leaders are shocked when I share recent Laudio data on burnout, indicating that if a preceptor is assigned to precept for more than 20% of their shifts, they are at much higher risk of burnout. Most tell me that experienced nurses are precepting 50-80% of their working shifts. This is not because managers want to repeatedly assign nurses to the preceptor role, but rather because they have so few options. In so many ways, preceptors have become critical linchpins to staff retention. And preceptors are, of course, also needed for nursing students. One manager recently told me that a student had come to her with a complaint that she was paying the university a lot of money in tuition and expected a better precepting experience from their academic partner.
Managers have been asking me recently whether their staff should be able to opt out completely from being preceptors. The answer to this question is complex. If nurses are truly burned out, exhausted, and disengaged, they are unlikely to be effective preceptors. On the other hand, what if you, as a manager, have few other options? Some strategies organizations are currently using include the following:
- Six-week preceptor rotation experience – six on and six off.
- Tracking quarterly the number of times each staff member has served as a preceptor, capped at two to three in a row.
- Tiering precepting so that even less experienced nurses can precept for certain skills, and experienced nurses precept for the more complex skills.
- Reduced patient acuity assignments for preceptors.
- Provision of guided coaching materials to reduce the amount of ‘figure-it-out teaching.
- Strengthen psychological safety for preceptors so they don’t worry about their own licenses (so many nurse managers have told me that TikTok videos remind today’s nurses that RaDonda Vaught was precepting a new nurse when the med error occurred).
- Frequent leader check-ins and comments of appreciation.
- Preceptor appreciation days each quarter.
- Using retired emeritus nurses as part-time preceptors.
- Preceptor support groups.
- Using the Daisy Educator Award for outstanding preceptors.
- Encouraging academic partners to establish recognition programs for student preceptors, such as tuition credit.
- Premium pay for preceptors.
- A preceptor rewards program where preceptors receive points that they can use for a gift or conference attendance.
- Rotating all new graduates through a dedicated education unit that is staffed to support intensive precepting.
There is a second part of this problem that involves today’s new graduates themselves. New nurses are stressed, anxious, and usually self-oriented. Showing appreciation to a preceptor for their work is not something all new graduates will do naturally. Leaders tell me that many new graduates arrive at their units and immediately tell their preceptors that they will gain some experience but plan to return to school to become NPs and CRNAs as soon as possible. This often makes preceptors feel they are wasting their time in an endless orientation cycle.
We know from resilience work that preceptors need the following:
- To feel valued for the work that they do.
- To feel like they are making a difference.
- To feel a sense of accomplishment.
- To have the support of their leaders and organization.
During onboarding today, nurse managers and residency program coordinators should talk to new nurses about how challenging the preceptor role is in the current environment. Sensitivity (don’t announce on day 1 that your career goals are not to stay with this team) and gratitude would go a long way, along with the strategies mentioned above. At the end of each shift, the new graduate could be encouraged to share the following three things with their preceptor:
What I most appreciate that you did for me today was ………………………….
One thing I learned from you today that I did not know before was ………………………….
Thank you for being my preceptor and investing in me.
There are no easy answers to the preceptor burnout that we see today, but the strategies above are a good start.
emergingrnleader.com 2026
To effectively lead through these challenges and others, nurse leaders need new tools and strategies. Let me help you as I have helped hundreds of organizations over the past five years. Book a workshop or keynote for your team by contacting me at roseosherman@outlook.com
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