Preceptorships: much of a help?

[MilkmanAl]

I'm considering doing an anesthesia preceptorship this summer, but I really son't know anything about them. Would that be useful experience? Would it look good on a resume? If so, how good? I know rotations are a big deal, but I've never heard one way or the other about preceptorships. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[URHere]

Preceptorships are a requirement at my school, and students here have mixed feelings about them.

Some students (including myself) find them to be excellent experiences. They are our chance to see patients independently, write notes, scrub in on surgeries (even if we usually only get to retract), suture, practice physical exam skills, etc. More importantly, if you end up with a willing preceptor, you have an excellent chance to have one on one conversations about everything from the pros and cons of a specialty to spirituality. You usually also get to know a team of residents and fellows who are willing to sit down and teach you how to read x-rays, how to assess open wounds, etc. If nothing else, you at least get used to being pimped well before your third year.

However, some students feel that preceptorships are little more than glorified shadowing experiences and that it is useless to practice clinical skills before you've really had a chance to learn them. I think which perspective you take depends on who you end up being paired with - if you get the right person, they will teach you more than you could ever learn in a classroom setting.

As for your resume, I really doubt a preceptorship would help much. It's really a watered-down version of third year (and much less time consuming), so it's unlikely to turn many heads.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Awesome, thanks for the advice. 🙂

 

[DocPsychosis]

We have an optional 4-wk paid preceptorship the summer between MS 1 & 2. I didn't participate (in favor of research), but I hear it's a fairly good experience, depending on the preceptor of course. We also have a fairly easy preceptorship as part of an MS2 course; one or two of us are assigned each to a local primary care attending or resident, and have to complete a certain number of full patient H&Ps and SOAP notes over the course of the year. I think it's a good way to work out history and physical techniques as well as practice presenting patients before 3rd yr rotations.

 

[Jolie South]

agree with DocPsychosis and URHere.

We've been doing preceptorship since last semester (I'm an MS1) and I find it to be a good reminder of why I'm here in the first place. While I do feel like an idiot most of the time, it does give me a chance to practice basic exam and H&P skills.

I'll also be in clinic less than a year from now and it's good to know that I won't be completely lost.

 

[Mr hawkings]

I'm considering doing an anesthesia preceptorship this summer, but I really son't know anything about them. Would that be useful experience? Would it look good on a resume? If so, how good? I know rotations are a big deal, but I've never heard one way or the other about preceptorships. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Just curious. Does it still go on the resume even if it was a required part of the school curicullum?

After grad school i was told i could not put my required research rotations though different labs on my resume as experience. Was i misinformed?

 

[Captain Fantastic]

I'm considering doing an anesthesia preceptorship this summer, but I really son't know anything about them. Would that be useful experience? Would it look good on a resume? If so, how good? I know rotations are a big deal, but I've never heard one way or the other about preceptorships. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

It's not that unique to extern your M1 summer. The ACP has a program that pays medical students to work with internists for the summer, for example.

Externing, or preceptoring -- whatever it's called these days, is like anything else you could do the M1 summer: it doesn't really matter. It'll show up on your resume, but come residency application time programs will be much more concerned with your Step 1 scores, clerkship grades, and Dean's letter. It won't make a significant difference in your ranking. It becomes part of the required filler for your CV.

It's good to do something this summer, and it's definitely useful in learning more about the specialty as you start deciding what you want to pursue.

 

[Jolie South]

It's not that unique to extern your M1 summer. The ACP has a program that pays medical students to work with internists for the summer, for example.

Externing, or preceptoring -- whatever it's called these days, is like anything else you could do the M1 summer: it doesn't really matter. It'll show up on your resume, but come residency application time programs will be much more concerned with your Step 1 scores, clerkship grades, and Dean's letter. It won't make a significant difference in your ranking. It becomes part of the required filler for your CV.

It's good to do something this summer, and it's definitely useful in learning more about the specialty as you start deciding what you want to pursue.

For me, it's not so much about looking good on a residency app as it is practicing the exam and interviewing skills that I've been learning about this year. I start rotations next January, and I feel like anything I can do to give me a leg up would be advantageous to my early clinical grades.

The ACP program sounds pretty cool. I'm not sure if it works the same in other states, but in Texas there is the option of going to different cities and working with people that practice in subspecialties as well. Plus, it's a little extra cash when a lot of folks won't have financial aid at all.

I've heard of Peds and Family Med programs that are similar too.

 

[Brett5]

I think if you can get a preceptor in the specialty you are interested in then it can be very helpful. If not then just enjoy it the best you can