Preceptors’ Pointers: Will Precepting Affect My Clinic Productivity?

An occasional series of preceptor-related questions with answers from experienced preceptors.

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Q: I’m thinking about precepting a midwifery student. The catch is
that I’m worried that precepting will slow me down and negatively
affect my clinic productivity. Thoughts?

A: This is a common response and can be a challenging issue. At our
site, we are given 2 fewer patients on our schedule per half day, slots
blocked as “mentor time for SNM,” so it helps a bit. However, that
being said, I find the “burden” of having a new student really only
lasts a couple of days. I have them shadow me for the first day or
half day depending on how quickly the student is catching on and
how confident he or she is. After that, there is always something they
can do, e.g. go in and do the patient’s history and start the physical.
Then I will join them and answer any questions the student or the
patient has. Or for OB patients, the students can almost always do
fundal height and FHR. Allowing them to do this starts to give them
a feel for independence and builds their confidence. We review the
chart together so the student knows what’s expected in the visit,
and they just start doing more and more on their own. I also ask
them to do the patient teaching and go over what I usually cover.
Before you know it, they are really sharing the workload with me,
and I hate the days when I don’t have a “helper”!

A: Precepting is trying, frustruating and very rewarding. There are
days the student slows you down, and days when your patients get
some much needed one-on-one because the student spends time
with them while you see other patients. There are days you learn
something from the student and ones when externalizing all of your
thoughts, so the students gets why you are doing what you are doing,
is exhausting. Sometimes the patients get annoyed, but most like
participating in the learning process and helping the student learn.

A: I did have reservations, and I discussed them with the obstetrician
with whom I worked. He said let us try to assist the students, and he
also supported us. I was fortunate to have a student who was eager
to learn, and who did not mind coming out at night and being on
call. It was a rewarding experience for her and me. She eventually
worked in the same clinic that I did and was a great midwife, safe
practitioner, and a joy to her patients. Give the students a chance.
Become a preceptor.