Precepting & E-Quality of Care
As a woman of the baby-boomer generation, I was raised in an era when feminism was a focus for many. There was a great deal being written and discussed to encourage women to attain equal pay for equal work. Because nursing was (and still is) a profession dominated by women, this was a frequent topic in the classroom. We were repeatedly told, “Don’t give away your knowledge for free” and “You deserve to be paid what you’re worth, don’t discount yourself.”
I find it very telling that the same female-dominated academic programs that encouraged me to seek proper payment are now taking advantage of my free labor. I am somewhat offended by this attitude and consider it a step backward. Each time NPs are guilted or browbeaten into teaching without proper compensation, the profession is devalued. To continue to participate is to enable a problematic, if not broken, system.
NP education is in need of major reform. The precepting issue is the weak link in becoming a qualified professional who is able to meet the demands and responsibilities that academics and politicos are pushing harder and harder for. Our physician and PA colleagues can rightly argue that their clinical education is superior to ours—and I cannot fault our colleagues for expressing concern about quality of care. If nursing really wants an equal place at the table, this weakness must be improved, or the naysayers will have plenty of evidence that they were correct in the years to come.
Rebecca Shively, MSN, RN, FNP-BC
San Marcos, TX
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