I've precepted many NP students during the years and usually had pretty rewarding experiences. (There was that one student that just didn't get it...I guess I can save that one and how I handled it for another post!) I like to think of precepting as a two-way street: my student is getting the hands on experience of patient care with guidance while I can further hone my precepting skills. Precepting a student is not simply telling them how to treat a condition or how to prescribe a medication. It is helping that student critically think to formulate differential diagnoses and treatment plans. Precepting can often be overlooked as part of the education and training of health professionals yet it is a critical part of acquiring the necessary skill set of patient care.
I think back to my experiences as a student and have found supportive clinicians that helped to shape me into the clinician I am today (I was precepted by a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, an OB/GYN, a family nurse practitioner and a emergency department physician). I wish I had more time with a nurse practitioner preceptor but one simply wasn't available to me. I believe that made it harder to find my identity as a NP since I had to constantly bring in the nursing perspective melded with the medical piece. However, that enabled me to create that identity from scratch and make it my own.
Now I am curious. As a clinician (MD, NP, PA, etc) do you precept students? What do you look for in a preceptee? Do you feel that it is your professional responsibility to help train the next generation of providers? As a student, what qualities do you look for in a preceptor? What were some examples of good or bad experiences?
I'd love to hear your feedback.
Comments
Personally, I enjoy preceptors who give the impression that they enjoy their job and want you to be successful. They should be encouraging, but also give firm feedback if something is not being done to standard.
I can't wait to start my NP program next year :)
Stephen
I have precepted a few students myself - in general a great experience, but had one older RN to NP student who had minimal computer skills, so she was a major hinderance as I had to teach her how to use the computer. I see EHR/EMR implementation as being a big barrier in the future - won't be possible to know how to access all the different types of EMRs, especially if you are rotating to different facilities/offices.
Cardio NP
Check out the Nurse Practitioner Association of New York State (thenpa.org). They are a wonderful resource for matching students to preceptors. The student member rate is very affordable and pays for itself in the benefits of finding preceptors,CEUs etc.
You can contact Tom Nicotera (tnicotera at thenpa. org) for more info.
Hope that helps some. What part of NY will you need a preceptor?
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scarlet
used cars
I am writing to ask if you or other NPs/MDs , you might know, would be willing to precept a student from TWU FNP program .
I am currently a student at TWU Family Nurse Practitioner Program at Dallas campus. I am going to start my clinical in January of 2012 and will have 4 semesters of clinical total.
I am currently working in the Internal Medicine Clinic supporting physicians .Unfortunately we are not allowed o have clinical at our workplace. I am pretty much familiar with the clinic flow, patient population, acute and chronic disease management , ordering tests, and refilling medications, performing rapid, refills, phone triage, etc. Any information about preceptorship would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Lana
lana@morrismail.com
It is puzzling to me to see my future colleagues display such an aversion to guiding and mentoring the next generation of FNPs. Who taught and mentored these NPs?
Personally, I am pretty stunned by the apparent lack of personal integrity, professionalism, and commitment to guidance and fostering of competency among their peers. I have never turned down a student in all my ten years of nursing. I can only assume that this must translate into a lack of patient care and education as well? For why not?
Why is the precepting component of advanced practice nursing grossly lacking (particularly in the southwest where I reside)? I believe that an NP who is sought after enough to have students routinely learn from them must be viewed in a more respected and positive light by their peers reciprocally, no? This poses an opportunity for you as well, no?
Help me out here.