Guidelines for Preceptors

Rotation Guidelines for Preceptors

The following guidelines will help to ensure a rewarding experience for both you and your student:

On the first day of the rotation

Orient the student to the facility, the staff, applicable policy, and procedures.

Discuss specifically how you want things done and what you expect.

Review the rotation objectives with the student and together assess the scope of expected knowledge.

Whenever possible, arrange the day-to-day clinical experiences with the course objectives in mind. The objectives are listed on the syllabus sent to you; you may also see them on the Web.

Assign outside journal readings and topics to be presented based on the types of cases the student encounters. Although the student already has formal assignments to complete and an assigned text, your introduction of timely pertinent information resources will go a long way to encourage life-long learning habits.

Evaluation of Student's Performance

The student will provide you with two evaluation forms. Please evaluate the student twice, with a one-page checklist at mid-rotation and a more formal evaluation at the end of the rotation.
Evaluations should be done after reviewing the student's chart work, hearing case presentations, and consulting with other staff members who have worked closely with the student. Deficiencies as well as strengths should be frankly discussed with the student.
In general, 30% of the student's final rotation grade is based on this evaluation. Your evaluations should consider the student with respect to other students at the same level of training. A useful comparison is to that of a third- or fourth-year medical student.
One of our PA faculty members may also evaluate the student during a site visit.