Mentoring and Preceptorship is a guide to the support roles offered to staff experiencing career transitions - nursing students, the newly qualified, those returning to practice after a career break, and anyone entering a new area or speciality for the first time. It provides help on all aspects of the planning and implementation of learning support systems, together with the background to policy changes in health and education which make the development of both roles essential for the personal and professional development of staff at all levels in their organisations. Intended primarily for nurses, it details the UKCC preceptor requirement and suggests practical ways in which support can be used to enhance the competence and integration of staff in the clinical area.