Nurses · problem and fix
How to write preceptor evaluation for new nurse on Mac: examples and steps for 2026
To write a preceptor evaluation for a new nurse, describe specific things you saw, tie each one to a skill on the form, and name one thing to practice next. Vague praise and vague criticism both leave the nurse with nothing to act on. This page covers the steps, real examples, common mistakes, and a few tools you can use on your Mac.
The short answer
- Name one behavior, one moment and one next step for each skill you rate.
- Replace labels like good attitude with what the nurse did, when, and what happened.
- Keep patient identifiers out of the evaluation. Follow your employer's rules on patient data.
- Draft in Word, dictate the first sentences if typing is slow, then read the whole thing aloud before you submit.
What writing preceptor feedback costs you
Rewrites and back-and-forth
A vague evaluation often comes back with questions. You or the educator then ask for detail, and the form goes back and forth. Writing specifics the first time avoids that round trip.
The nurse repeats the same gap
A new nurse who does not know what to change keeps doing what they did. A growth area with no example is easy to forget by the next shift. The same gap then shows up again in the next evaluation.
Patterns get hidden
One vague comment looks harmless. Vague comments across several periods can hide a real pattern, such as slow medication passes or unclear handoffs. Nobody sees the cause until it becomes serious.
Preceptor burnout and workload
A 2025 DNP project from Arkansas State University reports high burnout and low job satisfaction among preceptors. The abstract gives no sample size or numbers, so read it as a direction, not a rate. Writing good evaluations takes time you may not have in a heavy week.
Staffing pressure
The BLS projects about 180,800 registered nurse openings each year on average. Feedback is one part of orientation. This page does not claim that better feedback changes retention, because the sources here do not measure it.
Why it happens
Writing at the end of a long period
Most preceptors write the evaluation when the period ends. By then, the details are gone. The comment gets short, and short comments drift toward labels like good or needs work.
Labels are faster than evidence
A word like strong takes seconds to type. A specific moment takes a minute to recall. Under time pressure, the label wins. The nurse then gets a verdict instead of a note they can use.
Fear of a hard sentence
Writing that a nurse needs to change something feels harsh, especially for someone you like. Preceptors soften the point until it disappears. Soft writing can look kind, but it gives no direction.
Your own patients come first
When you also carry your own assignment, the evaluation is easy to put off. Each day you delay, the details fade. A short evaluation written in the moment is often more useful than a long one written later.
No shared picture of the target
If the nurse and the preceptor do not agree on what good looks like, the evaluation becomes a judgment on a moving target. Agree on the skill names and the expected level early. Then your comments can point to a gap you both can see.
How to fix it
These work with or without any app.
Use the three-part comment
Write each important comment as a behavior, a moment and an effect. Say what the nurse did, which shift it happened on, and what changed for the patient or the team. This keeps the comment checkable and stops labels from creeping back in.
Keep a running note
Open a note on your phone or a Word file on your Mac. Add one line per shift about a behavior you saw. At the end of the period, you pick from your own record instead of guessing. Lazur can dictate the line if typing is slow.
Turn labels into observations
Find every adjective in your draft. Ask what you saw that made you choose it. Replace the word with that observation. If you cannot find one, drop the comment.
Match the form's skill names
Use the exact skill names from the form as headings in your draft. The nurse and the next educator can then find each comment fast. It also shows you covered every skill, or that you did not see one.
Ask the nurse what they want to work on
Before you write, ask the nurse what they want to improve. Their answer does not replace your evidence. It helps you choose the practice goal and makes the conversation less of a surprise.
Get a second read without patient details
Ask a colleague or educator to read the evaluation with patient details removed. Ask one question: what should the nurse do differently? If the reader cannot answer, the comment is still vague.
Save a copy for each period
Create one Word file with the skill names as headings and a short note under each. Reuse it each period. After each evaluation, save a copy with File > Save As, so every period keeps its own version.
Send safety concerns through the process
If something was unsafe, do not wait for the form. Follow your program's route for concerns, and document the facts the way you are told to. A vague line in an evaluation is not a safety report.
Start with the form, not the blank box. Your program may give you a rubric with skills, a rating scale and a comment box. Your job is to fill each skill with evidence. The comment is where the new nurse learns what to keep doing and what to change. Write it for them, not for the file.
What a preceptor evaluation has to do
A useful evaluation does three things. It tells the new nurse what they did well, with enough detail to repeat it. It names one or two gaps, with enough detail to fix them. It shows the next preceptor or educator where the orientation stands. A rating alone does none of these. A rating with one clear example does most of them.
How to write preceptor evaluation for new nurse, step by step
- Pull your notes for the period. Use your shift notes, the handoffs you gave and any messages from the nurse. Do this before you rate anything.
- List the skills on the form. Put one line under each skill with the evidence you have. If you have none, write that down.
- Pick two strengths. For each, note the shift, what the nurse did and what it changed for the patient or the team.
- Pick one growth area. Name the situation, the behavior and what you want to see next time.
- Write one practice goal. Make it something you can watch for, such as giving report to the charge nurse without a prompt.
- Read the whole thing aloud. If a sentence could be pasted into any nurse's file, rewrite it.
- Check the form's rules for length, deadlines and sign-off. Submit through the channel your program uses.
The read-aloud step is easy to skip. It catches sentences that sound kind and say nothing. Words like great and strong are the usual culprits. Replace each one with what the nurse actually did.
Example: vague comments and specific ones
| Vague comment | Specific comment | Why the second works |
|---|---|---|
| Great attitude, very motivated. | On the evening shift she asked for report twice and repeated back the medication times. | Names a behavior and a shift. |
| Needs to be faster. | Medication passes ran late on several days this period. Next, check the room list before the first pass. | Names the pattern and a concrete step. |
| Good communication. | Called the provider with a short summary and the trend in the vitals before asking for an order. | Shows what good communication looked like. |
| Not ready for a heavy assignment. | Asked for help with several new admissions in one shift and did not finish the discharge teaching. Next, practice the teaching checklist with a preceptor first. | Describes what happened and what to practice. |
Notice that the specific version is longer. It is longer because it carries evidence. A reader can check it, act on it and build on it. The vague version gives the nurse nothing to check.
What the research says about preceptor feedback
The research on this exact task is thin. A 2025 systematic review looked at preceptorship programs. It included ten studies, and eight reported statistically significant improvements. All ten showed better clinical competence, confidence or readiness for practice. The review named structured feedback and standardized competency assessment as features of effective programs. It tested programs, not wording. It tells you feedback belongs in a good program. It does not tell you which sentence to write.
8 of 10
Preceptorship studies with statistically significant improvements (2025 systematic review)
The Effectiveness of Preceptorship Program in Improving Clinical Competence Among Novice Nurse (2025)180,800
Registered nurse openings projected each year on average (BLS)
Occupational Outlook Handbook: Registered Nurses3 of 6
Medical clerkship preceptors who wrote more specific comments after a prompt (2020 pilot, not nursing)
Improving Preceptor Narrative Feedback Comments on Student Assessments: A Pilot Study (2020)A 2020 pilot gives a narrower clue. Faculty preceptors in a family medicine clerkship got a prompt on their assessment form. Three of six increased the share of very specific narrative comments. This is medical education, not nursing. Treat it as a hint that a prompt helps, not as proof for your unit.
Check questions before you submit
Before you submit each comment, ask yourself these questions. They are habits, not a validated tool. They keep each comment tied to something you saw.
- What exactly did the nurse do?
- When did it happen, on which shift and in what setting?
- What should they do next time, and how will you know?
Edge cases: when the new nurse is struggling
Some evaluations need a harder conversation. If you saw a safety concern, do not soften it into a vague line. Write what you saw, in order, with facts you can confirm. Then take it to your unit leader or educator through your program's process. Many programs have a separate route for concerns, so check first.
If you saw little of the nurse's work, say so. An honest note about limited observation is more useful than a high rating with no evidence. If you and the nurse disagree about an event, describe what you observed. Leave out what you think they meant or felt.
Mistakes people make with preceptor evaluations
- Writing the whole evaluation at the end of the period. Memory fades fast. Keep a running note instead.
- Using labels as evidence, such as strong or lazy.
- Copying last period's comment. The nurse will notice.
- Writing only praise or only criticism. Both leave the nurse guessing.
- Burying the growth area in the middle of a long paragraph.
- Naming patients, rooms or families. Leave them out.
- Skipping the practice goal. Without it, the next preceptor starts from zero.
Keep patient information out of the evaluation
An evaluation is a personnel document, not a chart note. Leave out patient names, record numbers, dates of birth and room numbers. Describe the situation in general terms, such as a post-operative patient with a new drain. Follow your employer's rules on patient data. Check where your program lets you store drafts before you save anything.
Write it in Word, then send it from Outlook
Draft the evaluation in Word so you can save a clean copy. Press ⌘S to save. Press ⌘F to find a word you used too often. Keep a blank file with the skill names as headings, and reuse it each period. Word gives you more room for specifics than a small form box.
If your program asks for the final text by email, draft the message in Outlook. Press ⌘N for a new message. Paste the finished text, then check the recipient before you send. For templates and shift email habits, see Word for nurses on Mac and Outlook for nurses on Mac.
Where Lazur helps, and where it does not
Lazur helps with the typing and the reading around the evaluation. Hold fn to dictate clean text at the cursor in any app. Hold ⌥ ⌘ to ask about what is on your screen, and Lazur answers out loud. Ask where a control is, and Lazur draws a circle and a label around it.
Lazur does not know what happened on your shift unless you tell it or it can see the screen. It cannot check your facts or your fairness. It does not press buttons, submit forms or edit files for you. You stay responsible for every sentence you sign.
Dictate the strengths before you type them
Speaking often beats typing for a first draft. You say the moment in plain words, then you edit the sentence. Lazur types at the cursor, so the text lands in Word or Outlook. Apple's built-in Dictation works too, with its own settings.
Apple says its on-device model refines spelling, punctuation and capitalization. That is available in English on Mac models with M3 or later and at least 12GB of unified memory. If Voice Control is on, standard Dictation is not available.
Turn on Apple Dictation
- Open System Settings. Choose Keyboard > Dictation, then turn Dictation on.
- Note the Dictation shortcut in that section. You can change it there.
- Click into the Word document. Choose Edit > Start Dictation, or press the Microphone key.
- Press Escape, the Microphone key or the shortcut again to stop.
Check the wording before you submit
Read the evaluation once for facts. Check the shift, the skill names and the spelling of the nurse's name. Then read it once for tone. Would you want to receive it? Would it still help if the nurse read it alone in their car?
If the evaluation touches a safety event, use the same facts-first habit from our guide on incident report wording. If you dictate many notes, read dictation without Dragon.
Faster with Lazur
Where Lazur helps with writing preceptor feedback
Hold ⌥ ⌘ and say what you want. Lazur sees your Word window. Hold fn and talk. Clean, formatted text appears at your cursor.
- 1
Hold ⌥⌘ and talk
- 2
Hold fn and talk. Clean, formatted text appears at your cursor.
- 3
You stay in Word. Nothing to copy into a chat window.
More things to say in Word
- “Hold fn and dictate your two strengths.”
- “Explain this skill on the rubric in plain words.”
- “Show me where the submit button is.”
- “Walk me through saving this in Word.”
- “Draft a short reply to the nurse's question about the goal.”
- “Find the public rules for nursing preceptor evaluations.”
Free for 3 days, then $18/month. Download for Mac
You say“Hold fn and say your two strengths in plain words.”
Lazur · types what you sayLazur types the sentence at the cursor, cleaned up, so you edit it instead of typing from scratch.
Typed at your cursor
On the evening shift she asked for report twice and repeated back the medication times.
What nurses say to Lazur for this
Each one is a single hold of ⌥ ⌘.
“Hold fn and dictate your two strengths.”
Lazur types the sentence at the cursor in Word, cleaned up, so you edit instead of starting from a blank line.
Types what you say
“Explain this skill on the rubric in plain words.”
Lazur reads what is on your screen and explains the skill out loud. It helps you pick the right evidence to write about.
Explains what's on screen
“Show me where the submit button is.”
Lazur draws a circle and a label around the control on your screen. It does not press the button for you.
Points at it
“Walk me through saving this in Word.”
Lazur guides you one click at a time and waits for each click before it goes on.
Walks you through it
“Draft a short reply to the nurse's question about the goal.”
Lazur drafts text for you to review. You decide what stays, and you send it yourself.
Drafts it
“Find the public rules for nursing preceptor evaluations.”
Lazur runs research in its own Chrome tabs with the Lazur for Chrome extension, then returns a summary and a report. Check the sources yourself.
Researches in the background
“Remind me to finish the evaluation before the shift ends.”
Lazur sets an Apple Reminders item by voice. It cannot know when your shift ends unless you tell it.
Handles the small stuff
A plan you can start this week
- Day 1
Collect the evidence
Open your shift notes, handoffs and any messages about the nurse. Write one line under each skill on the form. Mark any skill with no evidence so you know what to watch for next.
- Day 2
Draft strengths and a growth area
Write each strength as a behavior, a moment and its effect. Write the growth area the same way, then add the practice goal. Keep the draft in one Word file.
- Day 3
Run the check questions
Go through each comment with the check questions. Replace every label with an observation. Delete any sentence that could describe any nurse on any unit.
- Day 4
Remove identifiers and rough edges
Take out patient names, rooms, record numbers and dates of birth. Check the spelling of the nurse's name and the skill names. Confirm the form's length rule.
- Day 5
Read aloud, then get a second read
Read the whole evaluation aloud once. Ask a colleague or educator to read it with patient details removed. Ask what the nurse should do differently. Fix any gap the reader cannot answer.
- Day 6
Submit and set the next goal
Submit through your program's channel. Then talk with the nurse about the practice goal and when you will watch for it. Put that check-in on your calendar.
Questions people ask
How long should a preceptor evaluation be for a new nurse?
Follow your program's form first. If it has no length rule, a short set of specific sentences for each skill is enough for most periods. Longer is only better when each sentence holds a behavior, a moment or a next step.
Should I give a rating and a written comment?
Do both when the form asks for both. The rating shows your overall call. The comment shows the reason. A rating with no comment leaves the nurse guessing about what to change.
What if I did not see the skill during my shifts?
Say so in the comment. Write that you did not observe it, and plan to watch for it next period. Do not rate a skill you did not see as if you had seen it.
Can Lazur write the evaluation for me?
Lazur can draft and type text, and it can explain what is on screen. It cannot see your shifts unless you describe them or they appear on screen. You review every sentence, decide what stays and submit it yourself.
Can I put patient details in the evaluation?
Leave them out. An evaluation is a personnel document. Describe the situation in general terms. Follow your employer's rules on patient data, and check your program's policy on where drafts can be saved.
Is there proof that prompts or templates improve feedback?
Not for nursing wording. A 2020 pilot in medical education found a prompt raised comment specificity for three of six preceptors. A 2025 systematic review found structured feedback in effective preceptorship programs. Neither tested nursing evaluation wording directly.
Should I use Apple Dictation or Lazur to dictate my draft?
Either one can type into a text field. Apple Dictation is built into macOS, and you set it in System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation. Lazur types at the cursor in any app when you hold fn. Pick the one your program's policy allows.
Sources
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Registered Nurses · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked 2026-11-07
- Impact of Nursing Burnout on Preceptors During the Transition Phase of New Graduates into the Workforce (DNP project, 2025) · Arkansas State University Digital Commons · checked 2026-11-07
- The Effectiveness of Preceptorship Program in Improving Clinical Competence Among Novice Nurse: A Systematic Review · Nursing Current, Universitas Pelita Harapan · checked 2026-11-07
- Improving Preceptor Narrative Feedback Comments on Student Assessments: A Pilot Study · Society of Teachers of Family Medicine · checked 2026-11-07
- Dictate your messages and documents on Mac · Apple Support · checked 2026-11-07
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