Preceptors' experiences of supervising internationally educated nurses attending a bridging program: An interview study

Background: Internationally educated nurses attending a bridging program must demonstrate clinical competence and meet requirements to apply for a nursing license in Sweden.Objectives: To describe preceptors' experiences of supervising internationally educated nurses undergoing clinical practice education during a bridging program.Design: A qualitative descriptive study. Settings: Two universities offering the 1-year bridging program for nurses with a nursing degree from outside European Union/European Economic Area and Switzerland.Participants: Fifteen preceptors, all registered nurses, who supervised internationally educated nurses were included. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were performed, and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.Results: Supervising internationally educated nurses was not the same as supervising nursing students and raised feelings of both joy and frustration. Preceptors had to adapt supervision to the student's nursing knowledge and skills. They had to help students communicate in Swedish and form good relationships with other students, patients, and other professionals. Most preceptors requested more information about the student's nurse education, country of education/cultural background, and previous work experiences. Mixed experiences of support from the university, first-line managers, and colleagues were reported.Conclusions: Being a preceptor for internationally educated nurses is a challenge, and supervision training is important for managing preceptorship. To supervise students based on their level of knowledge and skills, more information must be shared with the preceptor. Encounters with others are of importance in the training, where teamwork and person-centered care must be in focus, both in prior theoretical education and in clinical practice education.