Teaching & Precepting: Two Sides of the Same Coin
I am a 64-year-old NP who has been precepting in Montana for the past four years. The students I precept are responsible for finding their own preceptors, just as I was 20+ years ago. However, preceptors are hard to find here, as the population is widely scattered; this places an emotional burden on students. They cannot be picky in choosing where they go. Thus, students may not be familiar with the preceptor’s practice or ability to teach.
The students I precept are in doctorate programs. My experience has shown that these students have very little understanding of practical application and instead have an overabundance of theoretical knowledge that does not always apply to seeing and treating patients. I believe that this, and the suggested “lack of preparedness,” is the fault of the program—not of the student.
Regardless of program faults, students are looking to learn from our experience. Teaching is part of being a preceptor; if you do not want to teach, being a preceptor is not for you. If you want to share your experience and knowledge with those following you (mindful that they may treat you in the future), precepting is an enjoyable experience. But—a good practitioner does not always make a good teacher.
Before becoming a preceptor, you must consider your time constraints, as well as your staff’s. You also must consider how your patients will react to seeing a student in your place.
Preceptors need to have a relationship with the student’s university apart from signing a paper saying they, the NP, will be the student’s preceptor. The university needs to be more proactive, as medical schools are, when finding preceptors willing to take students.
Compensation is another consideration that is rarely mentioned or discussed. Compensation would eliminate some of the negative reactions and might get more preceptors to sign on.
Harold W. Bruce, MSN, FNP-BC
Butte, MT
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