Expectations of the Teacher/ Learner

Expectations of the Teacher

Your students should exhibit the qualities of a physician-in-training.

They should be...

• Professional and ethical in their interactions with patients and staff
• Motivated to read on their own about cases and report their findings
• Receptive to feedback and have the desire to apply it
• Eager to assume patient care responsibility consistent with their knowledge and skills

"The excitment students have for medicine is contagious. Precepting is challenging and rewarding - I find myself learning more as a doctor as I strive to teach the student."

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J. Eric Crawford
Family Healthcare Inc.
Chillicothe

Expectations of the Learner

Your students seek opportunities to improve their clinical skills through direct experience in office-based patient encounters.

Past student evaluations of their rotations provide a target for preceptors. Students benefit from experiences that include...

• Levels of autonomy for patient care consistent with their prior clinical knowledge and experience
• Specific feedback on strengths and areas for improvement
• Questioning to probe their understanding of important teaching points
• Opportunities for brief didactic moments to acquire clinical pearls

Students do not benefit from experiences that include...

• An excessive amount of "shadowing"
• An office staff unprepared for hosting a medical student
• A preceptor who is too busy to answer questions and impart knowledge
• Feedback that is not balanced nor based on observed behaviors

"In the first two years of medical school, i was always confident in my ability to handle the academic workload, but was much more tentative about my clinical skills. My preceptor helped me immensely by providing a welcoming environment in which to practice my physical exam skills, gave me constructive feedback and showed me a glimpse of the clinical side of medicine. The time I spent in her office helped me to gain confidence in my clinical abilities, a trait which is obsolutely essential for a medical student."

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Kathryn Cunin
Ohio State medical student