Preceptorship and New nurse onboarding: Safe transition to independent practice

A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 13 details that are specific to your organisation.

Length
35 min
Lessons
6 lessons
Frequency
At the start of each new-starter cohort
Last reviewed
21 Oct 2026
Handover, competency and grey areas
What would you do?

Mr Okafor, bed 4, a change in his condition was noticed late in the shift; Imani is about to hand over and her preceptor has gone on break

Try it: this is one of 19 interactive activities in the course.

What's included

Three pieces that work together

Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.

Self-paced course

Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.

  • 6 lessons, about 35 minutes
  • Process, scenario, flashcards, sorting activity and quizzes

Live session deck

An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.

  • 10 slides
  • Quiz, poll, word cloud, scale slides
  • A closing slide for your contacts

Two surveys

Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.

  • Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
  • 30-day check-in
  • Anonymous by default
  • Results feed your next refresher

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, learners can

Each objective and the lesson that covers it.

IDObjectiveSourceWhere it's covered
TO 299.0Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessmentnoneWhole course
SO 299.1Describe the roles of preceptor, preceptee and manager and agree expectations at the start of orientation + your infoExamples: NMC standards for student supervision and assessment; best practiceWhole course
SO 299.2Follow a staged plan from supervised to independent practice and know when a stage can move on + your infoExamples: ANCC Practice Transition Accreditation Program; CCNE entry-to-practice residency standards; best practiceWhole course
SO 299.3Give specific, timely and kind feedback at the bedside and teach without taking overBest practiceWhole course
SO 299.4Use a structured handover and recognise the common safety risks for a new nurseBest practice; The Code (NMC) as an example of professional dutyWhole course
SO 299.5Make an evidence-based sign-off decision, and know how to escalate a concern about readiness or wellbeing + your infoExamples: Joint Commission staff competency standards; CMS hospital conditions of participation; best practiceWhole course

Your part: what a template can't do for you

  • Your workplace details: fill in the 13 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
  • Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.

Course outline

6 lessons, about 35 minutes

Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.

ContentInteractiveVideoYou customise
1

Why the first months matter

3 pages

7 min
Before you beginNoteList
Imani's third shiftTextImageChecklist
What would you say?Key factFlashcardsQuiz
2

Roles, expectations and a staged plan

3 pages

6 min
Three rolesTabs
The staged planProcessYour infoNote
CheckFlashcardsMatching quiz
3

Teaching and giving feedback at the bedside

3 pages

6 min
A feedback routineProcess
Helpful or not helpfulSorting activity
Teach, don't take overAccordionQuiz
4

Handover, competency and grey areas

3 pages

6 min
ScenarioScenarioYour info
ScenarioScenarioQuiz
Evidence or opinionSorting activityMatching quiz
5

Wellbeing, speaking up and the next step

3 pages

6 min
Who to tellProcessYour infoYour infoYour infoYour infoNote
ScenarioScenarioQuiz
Plan the transitionChecklistButtonYour info
6

Final assessment

2 pages

4 min
PracticeQuiz
CompletionKey factListNoteButtonYour info

Live deck and surveys

10 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop

Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.

ContentTitle, agenda, "learning is expected, silence is the risk" (speaker notes: template page URL)
PollWhat worries you most about the first months? (Asking for help · Handover · Being signed off too early · Workload)
Word cloudOne word for a great preceptor
ContentThe three roles and the staged plan in five steps
QuizA new nurse says 'fine' but hesitates. Best next step?" (Ask them to talk you through how they would do it ✔ · Accept the answer · Give the task anyway · Check the rota)
QuizThe manager asks you to sign off early, one skill unseen. You…" (Sign only what you have seen and agree a date for the rest ✔ · Sign now, observe later · Sign for everything · Refuse without a word)
Content · customiseCustomise: our orientation plan, handover tool and contacts" with {{ORIENTATION_PLAN}}, {{HANDOVER_TOOL}}, {{ESCALATION_ROUTE}}
ScaleHow confident are you giving feedback at the bedside?" 1 to 5
Open-ended / Q&AOne thing a preceptor did that helped me
Content · customiseClosing {{CLINICAL_EDUCATION_CONTACT}}, {{SURVEY_2_URL}}, {{COURSE_URL}}
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
  1. Overall rating 5 stars
  2. Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
  3. What was most useful? multi-select
  4. Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
  5. How confident are you giving specific feedback at the bedside? 1-5 scale
  6. Which part of the staged plan is hardest on your ward? multiple choice
  7. What is one thing you will do differently this month? short text
  8. I feel safe telling my preceptor or manager when I am unsure. 1-5 scale
  9. One thing we should change or add open text
  10. Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
  1. Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
  2. How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
  3. Do you know where to find the local preceptorship policy? yes / no / not sure
  4. A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
  5. Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking

Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.

Make it yours

13 fields to fill in, and you're ready

Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.

  • Clinical education contact{{CLINICAL_EDUCATION_CONTACT}}
  • Local policy link{{LOCAL_POLICY_LINK}}
  • Incident reporting route{{INCIDENT_REPORTING_ROUTE}}
  • Escalation route{{ESCALATION_ROUTE}}
  • Regulator and standards{{REGULATOR_AND_STANDARDS}}
  • LMS or record system{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}
Show all 13 fields
  • Orientation plan{{ORIENTATION_PLAN}}
  • Handover tool{{HANDOVER_TOOL}}
  • Wellbeing support contact{{WELLBEING_SUPPORT_CONTACT}}
  • Survey 1 URL{{SURVEY_1_URL}}
  • Survey 2 URL{{SURVEY_2_URL}}
  • Course URL{{COURSE_URL}}
  • Live session URL{{LIVE_SESSION_URL}}

FAQ

Common questions

Can I run preceptorship and New nurse onboarding: Safe transition to independent practice training online?

Yes. The course is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session in the room or online.

How often is this training needed?

At the start of each new-starter cohort, when a nurse is assigned a preceptor for the first time, and at the mid-point review of orientation.

Who needs this training?

Preceptors, newly registered or newly hired nurses, and the ward managers who support them in hospital and care-home settings; run by the nurse educator or clinical education lead.

What records should I keep?

Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when.

Can I edit the content?

Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply.

Ready to run it?

Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.