Authors (including presenting author) :
CHAN YM, LEE KC, LEE SW, LEUNG LM
Affiliation :
Nursing Services Division, United Christian Hospital
Keyword 1: :
Caring culture
Keyword 2: :
Clinical teachers or proceptors
Keyword 3: :
Staff wellness
Introduction :
Clinical teachers (CTs) play a pivotal role in mentoring new nurse graduates, but they increasingly face complex expectations from both clinical teaching team and clinical units, as well as challenges from new-age preceptees with diverse learning needs. This can lead to significant stress and risk of burnout. While CTs provide care for preceptees, their own emotional burden is often overlooked, resulting in reduced resilience and mentoring effectiveness. To address this gap, the multidisciplinary clinical teaching team (CTT) at United Christian Hospital implemented the STORM framework to cultivate a supportive culture, aligned with the principle of “Care for the Carer” and vision of “Happy Staff, Happy Workplace”.
Objectives :
1. To promote caring and supportive culture among CTs across specialties
2. To empower and strengthen the mentoring capacity for CTs
3. To enhance CTT cohesion and communication
Methodology :
The ‘STORM’ framework has been adopted since 2017, comprising: S-Sharing
Chaplain-facilitated small-group sharing sessions offering emotional and spiritual support. T-Tailored Training
Customized trainings on mentoring and counselling skills were provided to build confidence and competence. O-Open Office
An open and home-like CT office encourages informal communication, knowledge exchange and peer support. R-Regular Meeting
Monthly CT meetings to share clinical updates, incident learnings, and best practices, reinforcing team spirit. M-Multi-layered Mentoring System A four-tier structure involving senior nurse officer, CTT in-charge, experienced preceptors and new-joined CTs, ensuring guidance and escalation pathway for managing challenging preceptees. An electronic survey was conducted between 24 December 2025 and 9 January 2026 to evaluate effectiveness of these initiatives and collect qualitative feedback.
Result & Outcome :
The survey achieved 93.1% response rate (27 responses). 92.6% respondents agreed STORM framework has effectively promoted a caring culture within the team. The multi-layered mentoring system (4.56/5) was rated as the most impactful initiative, followed by tailored training (4.48/5), regular CT meetings (4.4/5), open office environment (4.37/5) and chaplain-facilitated sharing sessions (4.3/5). Qualitative feedback highlighted the need for more specialized mentoring and psychological skill trainings, stronger team communication and enhanced support for new-joined CTs. Suggestions included cross-specialty knowledge sharing and informal gatherings to strengthen cohesion. Recommendations for future development highlighted expanding mentoring and mental health training, reinforcing psychological safety, providing structured support for new members and encouraging informal and cross-departmental engagement could be considered. In conclusion, the STORM framework has proven effective in fostering a caring culture, empowering CTs, and strengthening team cohesion. Continuous refinement through expanded training, communication, and support mechanisms will further enhance staff wellness and resilience and ensuring sustainable mentoring capacity.
