At OpusVi, our mission is to strengthen the healthcare workforce by equipping professionals with the tools, training and support they need to deliver safe, compassionate care. This includes supporting psychological well-being through meaningful recognition. 

We’re proud to announce our collaboration with the DAISY Foundation, an organization that was founded 25 years ago with the sole mission of celebrating the extraordinary and compassionate impact of nurses. Since its inception, the foundation has continually expanded its recognition offerings to honor nurses in whatever role they serve, throughout their careers, including nursing educators.  To date, over 3 million nominations have been submitted and approximately 270,000 nurses have received a DAISY Award® for their extraordinary contributions. The DAISY Award program is now active in 43 countries, including the United States, and continues to expand its reach internationally.

Through this collaboration, we’re not only honoring the critical role preceptors play, we’re also elevating their visibility and highlighting their impact in shaping the next generation of nurses.

"In collaboration with the DAISY Foundation, we recognize the vital role preceptors play in shaping a safe, competent and compassionate nursing workforce. Their contributions are foundational to the success of new nurses, and we are proud to highlight and celebrate their dedication. Through our collaboration and technology platform, we are excited to offer a newly developed, accessible and streamlined nomination process, allowing newly licensed nurses to honor their preceptors with the Nurse Educator DAISY Award." - Dawna Cato, OpusVi’s Director of Nurse Residencies

The Critical Role of Nurse Preceptors in Education

Strong mentorship leads to strong retention. ​Nurse preceptors play a pivotal role in supporting new graduate nurses as they transition from academic learning to clinical practice. This period can be overwhelming, but effective preceptorship significantly enhances new graduates’ successful transition. Studies have shown structured preceptor programs can lead to a 12.2% increase in retention rates of novice nurses within the first year of employment. 

Moreover, hospitals implementing dedicated preceptor training have reported significant improvements in patient safety metrics and new nurse confidence. These findings underscore the critical importance of investing in preceptor training to ensure the successful integration and retention of new nurses in healthcare settings.

How OpusVi Supports Nurse Preceptors

At OpusVi, we build our Nurse Residency and Preceptor Training around proven strategies, equipping preceptors with evidence-based tools and structured mentorship strategies, fostering confidence in new nurses, and promoting consistent, high-quality clinical teaching to support long-term retention and workforce development. Our goal is to equip preceptors with the tools they need to mentor new graduate nurses and ensure their successful transition into clinical practice.

Whether through formal training or recognition programs, investing in preceptorship training impacts nurse retention and is one of the most strategic and cost-effective workforce development decisions a healthcare organization can make.

We’re proud to share that our transition-to-practice (TTP) program, with dedicated preceptor training, helped Arizona Hospitals and Healthcare Association achieve a remarkable 80% new nurse retention rate — the highest recorded to date. The strategy behind this success is now documented in Nursing Administration Quarterly in two peer-reviewed journals, offering a research-informed framework for states and systems looking to address nursing shortages with measurable, sustainable outcomes.

Recognizing the dedication and impact of preceptors is just as crucial as providing them with the resources and training they need to succeed. This is why we’re especially excited about our collaboration with the DAISY Foundation, which allows us to honor and celebrate the exceptional contributions of preceptors.

Recognizing Excellence Through the DAISY Award for Nurse Educators

OpusVi is proud to integrate the DAISY Nurse Educator Award into our residency programs, giving nurses the opportunity to honor preceptors who have shaped their transition into practice. We’ve streamlined the nomination process within our TTP learning platform, ensuring preceptors who go above and beyond are visible and celebrated.

In one recent cohort, new graduate Tiffany Shaddy, RN at Onvida Health, was awarded the DAISY Award for the fourth quarter of 2024 — a prestigious recognition for nurses who go above and beyond to provide compassionate, competent care to patients and families. This honor not only reflects the exceptional dedication of Tiffany and her preceptors but also highlights the value of recognizing nurse educators and preceptors who support them.

By focusing on how preceptors help new graduate nurses transition into practice, OpusVi helps institutions reduce turnover, improve patient care and develop confident, competent nurses who are ready to lead. We remain committed to supporting every step of the journey—from preceptor training and professional support to nursing educator recognition—as part of our mission to reshape the future of healthcare education.

To learn more about how we help organizations retain and empower the nursing workforce or how to nominate a nurse for the DAISY Award, visit opusvi.com.