Why Precept? 11 Reasons
The Teaching Roles of a Preceptor
Finding a Clerkship
The Skill of Teaching
Reflect on Teaching Effectiveness
Continuous Learning as a Teacher
The Effects of Precepting on a Practice
Getting Ready
Characteristics of an Ideal Preceptor
Preparing Your Staff for Educational Roles
Teaching Others to Teach
Institutional Learning Objectives
Unconscious Bias
Identifying Potential Unconscious Bias
Implicit Bias in Learners
Create a Plan to Address Unconscious Bias
Conflicts of Interest
Discuss Conflicts of Interest With Learners
Inequities in Clinical and Health Education
Counteracting Inequities
Address Inequities
Establish Systems to Address Inequities
Model Professional Behavior
Students' Professional Identities
Cultivate Professional Relationships
The Importance of Professional Boundaries
Creating the Clinical Learning Environment
Your Learner’s First Day
General First Steps
Orientation
Scheduling
Welcoming a Learner
Identify the Unique Characteristics of Your Clinical Setting
Managing Clinical Workflow
Interprofessional Teams and Community Resources
Help the Team Integrate Learners
Celebrate Learner Diversity
Elicit the Needs of Diverse Learners
Develop Culturally Relevant Individualized Learning Plans
Teach Cultural Understanding for Improved Learning
Value the Learner's Place in the Clinical Setting
Set Expectations at the Start
Adjust to Meet Changing Needs
Clarify Roles and Responsibilities
Individual Commitment to a Group Effort
Getting to Know Your Student
Maximizing Learning at Your Practice
Setting Expectations with Your Learner
Setting Expectations for Feedback
Discuss Institutional Learning Objectives With Your Learner
Goal-Directed Learning
Collaborate With the Learner to Prioritize Goals
Integrate the Learner's Goals
Monitor A Learner's Progress Towards Goals
Create Opportunities to Meet Goals
Adjust Goals As Needed
Self-Reflection
Ask Learners to Engage in Self-Reflection
Discuss Observations Resulting from Self-Reflection
Follow Up on Learner's Self-Reflections
Adult Learning Principles
Developing a Learner's Skill Set
Varying Your Teaching Style
Differences Between Feedback and Evaluation
Introduction to Clinical Teaching Methods
Use a Variety of Teaching Methods
Adjust Your Teaching Methods
Focus Teaching to Improve Retention
Students With Little Clinical Experience
Cultivating a Growth Mindset in Learners
Teaching Residents
Clinical Supervision of Residents
Contribute to Professional Identity Formation
Promote Professional Identity Across the Clinical Team
Precepting Scenarios
A Medical Mistake
The Talkative Patient With Many Symptoms
Well-Child Checkups (and Beyond)
Infectious Mononucleosis in a Young Athlete
First Diagnosis of Hypertension
Toxoplasmosis Counseling in a Pregnant Woman
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Primary Care Patients
The Mouth Is More Than Just Teeth
When Will I Know It All?
Quality of Care
The Rewards of Teaching Chronic Headache
Closing the Deal
Patient With Hyperglycemia
Inviting Hippocrates Along on a Home Visit
Geriatric Patient With Fatigue
Weight Loss
Cardiac Risk Assessment
Anticipatory Precepting
Teaching About Patients with Complexity
Your Role in the Patient Visit
The Learner's Role in Patient Education
Teaching After the Visit
Progressive Learning Model
ACGME Competencies
About Family Medicine Clerkships
Principles of Family Medicine Learning Objectives
Acute Care Learning Objectives
Chronic Diseases Learning Objectives
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Learning Objectives
The Role of Family Medicine Learning Objectives
General Medical Knowledge
Procedures
Teaching Evidence-Based Medicine
Use of EBM Guidelines and Point-of-Care Resources
Answer Clinical Questions Using EBM Guidelines
Coach Learners in Asking Clinical Questions
Collaboratively Identify Clinical Questions
Collaboratively Identify Clinical Questions
The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH)
Quality Improvement
Physician Well-Being
Discuss Well-Being With Learners
Identify Barriers to Well-Being With Your Learners
Model Behaviors to Enhance Well-Being
Identify Conflict
Use Inquiry to Manage Conflict
Coach Learners in Conflict Management Strategies
Role Model Professional Boundaries With Learners
Discuss Professional Boundaries With Learners
Assist Learners in Developing Their Professional Boundaries
Collaborate With Learners on Conflicts of Interest
Role Model Strategies to Mitigate Conflicts of Interest
Overview of Giving Feedback
Feedback is Essential for Learning
Timely and Actionable Feedback
Assure Learner Comprehension of Feedback
Use Feedback to Set SMART Goals
Formative Feedback and Summative Evaluation
Providing Formative Feedback and Summative Evaluation
Integrate Formative Feedback Into Summative Evaluation
Collaborate With Learners in the Feedback Process
Feedback Levels
Mid-Rotation Feedback
Feedback Traps
Bi-Directional Feedback
Seek Feedback From Learners
Enhance Your Teaching with Learner Feedback
Develop Learners' Feedback Skills
After the Feedback
Sandwich Model
ARCH Model
Five-Step Microskills
Ask-Tell-Ask Model
October 2024: Enrich Answers to Clinical Questions using EBM Resources
September 2024: Make Your Formative Feedback Collaborative
August 2024: Enhance Professional Identity Formation in a Clinical Setting
May 2024: Empower Learners With a Growth Mindset
April 2024: Self-Reflection in Educators
November 2023: Get Inspired with 17 Patient-Encounter Scenarios
October 2023: How to Teach Evidence-Based Medicine
September 2023: Feedback Levels Help Identify Your Feedback Goals
August 2023: How to Decide Where to Precept
June 2023: Use Self-Reflection to Identify Barriers to Well-Being
May 2023: Adding to a Learner's Skill Set
April 2023: Help Learners Manage Conflict in the Clinical Setting
March 2023: Managing Clinical Workflow with Your Learner
February 2023: Model Receptiveness to Feedback for Your Learners
November 2022: Show Learners How to Cultivate Professional Relationships
July 2022: Identify Types of Learner Difficulty
June 2022: Develop Your Learners' Teaching Skills
May 2022: Set Shared Learning Objectives with Every Learner
April 2022: Three Tips to Effectively Teach in the Presence of Patients
March 2022: The Benefits of Direct Observation
February 2022: Model Professional Behavior for Your Learners
October 2021: A Collaborative Feedback Environment
September 2021: Documenting Learner Performance
August 2021: Help Learners Self-Reflect
July 2021: Prepare Your Staff to Educate New Learners
June 2021: Continuously Enhance Your Clinical Teaching Skills
May 2021: Integrate Learners Into Your Team
April 2021: Help Learners Develop Their Professional Identity
March 2021: Personalized Teaching Skills Assessment Tool on Teaching
February 2021: Communicating About a Learner in Difficulty
November 2020: Look for Opportunities for Direct Observation
October 2020: Virtual Professional Boundaries
September 2020: Ensure Your Learners Recognize Feedback
June 2020: Role Modeling Inclusivity
May 2020: Tips for Welcoming Students Back to Clinic in a Pandemic World
April 2020: Precepting in the Time of COVID-19
March 2020: Teaching the Student With Little Clinical Experience
February 2020: Your Learners' Well-Being
December 2019: Save Time By Frequently Assessing Learners
November 2019: Role Model Feedback for Your Learners
October 2019: A Growth Mindset Benefits Everybody
September 2019: Prep for an Efficient Day Teaching in the Clinic
August 2019: Recognize Learners in Difficulty with the HEART Acronym
July 2019: Coach Students in Conflict Management
June 2019: Engage Your Students with Goal-Directed Precepting
May 2019: Find New Content Quickly
March 2019: A Model for Structuring Your Student’s Clerkship
February 2019: Prepare Your Patients to Have Students Involved in the Visit
January 2019: Bringing New Learners Into Your Clinic
November 2018: Write Learner Evaluations More Quickly
October 2018: Using the Three Levels of Feedback When Precepting
September 2018: Applying Adult Learning Principles to Your Precepting
August 2018: Setting Expectations with Your Students
July 2018: Providing Preventive Patient Care with Your Students
June 2018: Implementing the Revised Student Documentation Guidelines from CMS
May 2018: Prepare Your Patients to Have Students Involved in Their Visit
April 2018: How Students Can Improve the Quality of Care in Your Practice
March 2018: Increase the Efficiency of Your Precepting Using the Five-Step Microskills Model
December 2017: Earn Up to 40 CME Credits
November 2017: Empower Your Staff to Help Teach Your Students
October 2017: Avoid Common Feedback Traps
September 2017: Use Direct Observation for Easier Student Evaluations
August 2017: Your Medical Students Can Improve Patient Care
July 2017: Optimize Your Students' Use of Electronic Health Records
June 2017: Structure Your Student's Clerkship Experience
May 2017: Help Learners Succeed at Your Clinic
April 2017: Using the RIME Model to Assess Your Learners
March 2017: Writing Meaningful Comments on Your Learner Evaluations
February 2017: Turn Brief Conversations Into Teaching Opportunities
January 2017: Earn Up to 40 CME Credits
December 2016: Varying Your Teaching Styles
November 2016: Supporting Learners in Difficulty
October 2016: Resources for Teaching Evidence-Based Medicine
September 2016: Providing Better Feedback to Your Students
August 2016: Getting to Know New Students at Your Practice
July 2016: Teaching the Skill of Self-Assessment
June 2016: Teaching About Patients With Complexity
May 2016: Complete List of New TeachingPhysician.org Pages
March 2016: The New Site Has Launched!
February 2016: Two New Pages about Teaching in the Presence of Patients
January 2016: New Interview About Teaching in the Presence of Patients
Motivating Residents to Teach
All family medicine residents eventually teach medical students in a clinic or hospital setting. Teaching may automatically appeal to some residents while others may need some convincing or encouragement.
Quick Tips
Reminding a resident of the rewards of teaching can lessen his or her reservations. Remind residents that teaching:
- Significantly impacts a student’s education and future career choice.1 “Resident–teachers contribute to medical students’ learning in ways that complement the contributions made by attending faculty, as they are closer to the student experience and remember more clearly what it was like, and what worked for them.”3
- Increases job satisfaction and lessens the likelihood of professional burnout over time. This is attributed to variety, intellectual stimulation, and contact with young and, often, enthusiastic, learners.2
- Is required by the ACGME.2
- Many patients admire and appreciate resident teachers.2
Help Residents Become Good Teachers by Encouraging Them to:2
- Teach through role modeling. Students learn from residents regardless of whether there is an explicit attempt to teach.
- Prepare appropriate teaching points. Before entering a patient room the resident can take a moment to consider high-yield teaching points appropriate to the level of the student.
- Teach during downtime. Even on busy days, it's possible to find moments of downtime to teach practical clinical skills or impart clinical pearls.
- Think aloud. Thinking aloud before, during, and after patient visits provides a glimpse into a resident’s mental processing and allows a student to begin to understand why certain diagnoses are entertained or treatment decisions are made.
- Teach through patient education. While explaining a diagnosis or treatment to a patient, a resident can speak in a way that also teaches a student who is observing or participating in the visit.
References
- Tobia A, Bhatt S, Grigo H, Katsamanis M. Teaching Housestaff to Enhance Student Education with the Use of Fantasy Sports. Acad Psychiatry. 2013 Jan 1;37(1):60-2. doi: 10.1176/appi.ap.11100182.
- Power D, Brocato J, Solberg E. Residents Teaching Students. University of Minnesota, Department of Family Medicine & Community Health
- Dandavino M1, Snell L, Wiseman J. Why Medical Students Should Learn How to Teach.Med Teach. 2007 Sep;29(6):558-65.
- Rencie J. Resident as Teacher: Tips to Improve Teaching During New Patient Admissions. Semin Med Pract. 2009 Vol 12.
Resources
- Peer-teaching: an important skill for all medical students and doctors?
Article in Perspectives on Medical Education - When Learners Become Teachers
Article in Family Medicine - Resident as Teacher: Tips to Improve Teaching During New Patient Admissions
Article in Seminars in Medical Practice(PDF)