MHA Programs Strengthen Workforce Pipeline, Reduce Turnover
Two Unique Academies Support Preceptors and Clinical Faculty
Health care education depends on experienced professionals stepping up to guide the next generation of workers.
Whether it's preceptors helping new employees transition into a health care role or clinical faculty mentoring nursing students, these roles are vital to retaining staff in the health care field.
Unfortunately, many preceptors and clinical faculty face challenges, from balancing time constraints and demanding workloads to properly evaluating learners.
To help individuals in these roles, the Missouri Hospital Association offers two programs to support preceptors and clinical faculty — the Preceptor Academy and Clinical Faculty Academy.
“Training hospital staff as preceptors is essential to the success of health care organizations and workforce retention,” said Jill Williams, MHA vice president of workforce development. “The Clinical Faculty Academy helps address faculty shortages in nursing schools and hospitals by equipping experienced clinicians with essential teaching skills.”
The Preceptor Academy is designed for practicing health care professionals who train students or new hires. This academy focuses on teaching preceptors how to support, evaluate and develop learners throughout their onboarding process in real-world patient care settings.
“Preceptor Academies focus on guiding new employees and recent graduates through the onboarding process,” said Jean Klindt, MHA director of workforce programs. “Preceptors truly can make a difference in reducing employee turnover.”
The Clinical Faculty Academy teaches nurses how to serve as educators for nursing students at the bedside during clinical rotations in the hospital.
“The mission of the Clinical Faculty Academy is to develop qualified staff nurses for the role of clinical nurse educators to increase the faculty workforce, and expand and sustain enrollments in schools of nursing,” Klindt said.
These academies stand out from other training programs due to the presenters’ expertise. The Preceptor Academy trainers are clinical assistant professors from universities in St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo., while volunteer deans and professors from Missouri nursing schools lead the Clinical Faculty Academy.
About the Preceptor Academy
The Preceptor Academy is a one-day class open to all health care professionals. Attendees can earn 7.25 contact hours toward their continuing education.
Several in-person academies are offered each year at various locations around the state, in addition to one virtual class. Hospitals may contact MHA to host a Preceptor Academy at their facility for their staff.
Topics covered in each Preceptor Academy include an overview of the preceptor’s role, self-awareness, conflict resolution, evaluation and feedback, among others.
About the Clinical Faculty Academy
The Clinical Faculty Academy is a two-day class for nurses, and attendees can earn 12.5 contact hours. Six in-person academies are offered each year at schools of nursing. Two virtual classes also are offered.
Attendees learn about clinical evaluation tools, conducting pre- and post-clinical conferences, dealing with challenging situations in a clinical environment, work-life balance, legal considerations and more.
What attendees are saying
Past attendees have shared many benefits of completing these long-standing education and training programs that MHA and the MHA Health Institute have offered since 2004.
Preceptor Academy attendees noted how they learned better ways to communicate and better approaches to delivering feedback. One attendee said, “I learned that not everyone learns in the same way. You can't train everyone the same way.”
Nurses who attended the Clinical Faculty Academy said they enjoyed learning about the legal aspects of nursing education and the pre- and post-clinical conferences.
One Clinical Faculty Academy attendee said, “I learned how to appropriately address any situation that arises during clinical instruction. The knowledge I gained and hearing the experience of so many people will set me up for success in my practice.”
Learn more
For more information about the Preceptor Academy and Clinical Faculty Academy, email Jean Klindt, MHA director of workforce programs, or visit MHA's website.
The Missouri Hospital Association is a nonprofit association in Jefferson City that represents 136 Missouri hospitals. In addition to representation and advocacy on behalf of its membership, the association offers continuing education programs on current health care topics and seeks to educate the public about health care issues.