a commitment to learn

The best of relationships include an element of mutual sharing and the preceptor-student relationship is no exception. For preceptor Terry Smith, patient care manager, emergency, and Calgary sexual assault response team at Rockyview General Hospital, mutual sharing is key. Smith recently coached registered nurse Betty Kipperberg through her fourth year 'Leadership and Management in Nursing Practice' course with Athabasca University. He enjoys the challenge and the role of coach.

The preceptor is an invaluable resource for a nursing student and the nursing profession. The preceptor transforms theory into practice for the student, improving the quality of learning and strengthening the workforce. And often the learning is a process of give and take.

"When someone wants to learn more about the management aspects of nursing, I think, 'I can't think of a better way to share. We learn from one another. I have something to offer but the student can offer me things to make me stronger in my role,'" says Smith. In terms of his working life, he believes nurses focus more on job completion rather than the job enrichment that can come from a questioning student. "When a student asks, 'Well, why do you do it that way?' it challenges me to think theoretically and look at my practice differently whether that be clinical or administrative," he says.

Smith's educational and life experience began in his hometown of Winnipeg. His participative management style comes from a continuing love of team sports and early experiences within health care. "I've worked as a nursing attendant in Winnipeg, the equivalent of a non-licensed licensed practical nurse in Hamilton, and as a registered nurse (RN). And I think that life experience has provided me with a glimpse into the different roles on the team and I don't forget where I've come from."

Meanwhile, Smith's educational background consists of a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the University of Winnipeg, a bachelor of nursing from McMaster University in Hamilton, and a master of nursing degree from the University of Toronto. He completed his graduate degree while working for Mount Sinai Hospital's emergency department, relocating from Hamilton to Toronto where the jobs were. He moved to Calgary in 1998.

Despite a busy schedule managing more than 150 staff, Smith was able to meet weekly with Kipperberg over the less-demanding summer months, but he tells students up-front there will be times when he'll have to cancel. Kipperberg says cancellations were rare and Smith got back to her quickly when she had questions. He was also one of the first to respond to her e-mail query for a preceptor. He phoned her right away and was satisfied they could work together. Busy or not he was already an experienced preceptor.

To get them started, Kipperberg gave Smith a condensed outline of course requirements. Smith says he used several coaching tactics during their work together. Some were practical, such as looking over a departmental budget sheet or a monthly variance report, concrete examples of how a particular theory applied. At other times he played dumb so she had to think her way through a problem and tell him what she would do in a given situation. He even tried to confuse her with misinformation, but he says Kipperberg caught on every time. Also, because this was a management course, Smith invited Kipperberg to attend a couple of departmental meetings to witness first hand the dialogue and problem-solving that occurs in that setting.

Smith's contact with the Athabasca University faculty of nursing was fairly casual using phone and e-mail to confirm how the experience was going. It was more a case of touching base with one another to make sure everything was on track.

Kipperberg recalls the experience with enthusiasm. "Terry was wonderful. He really helped me understand the managerial role, to get the big picture, to look at the unit from a different perspective. He was very thorough in all his teaching and I appreciated that." She says she was impressed with Smith's case-building skill, supported by the quality and amount of information he gathers for this endeavor. His professionalism and interest in what she was thinking, how she was addressing problems and how she was following through with aspects of the course all increased her knowledge and her appreciation for his efforts.

Kipperberg's journey to a baccalaureate degree in nursing includes a move from Calgary to Kelowna as a teenager, marriage, a move to the Edmonton area and then a return to Calgary about 25 years ago. Her son and twin daughters kept her busy at that rime. After operating a day home while her children were small, she followed through on her intention to continue her education as a mature student once her own were in school. She loved science and liked caring for others so nursing held the most appeal.

Kipperberg's thirst for knowledge continued after she graduated from the two-year Mount Royal College RN program in 1988. She joined the Foothills Medical Centre in 1989 as full-time staff and charge nurse in acute internal medical teaching and continued to take university-level courses that were of interest and would help her provide better care to patients. She's also been the recipient of scholarship grants amounting to about $3,500. Along the way she eventually made a formal request and was accepted into Athabasca's baccalaureate degree program.