Students - what do you like in a preceptor?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

nafcillin

Full Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2008
Messages
285
Reaction score
57
Do you want them telling you what to do or would you rather find your own things? Do you like questions? How much guidance do you think is best? I know every student is different but I want to create the best rotation environment possible.

What if preceptor is busy. Do you get bored or what would you rather do?
 
Do you want them telling you what to do or would you rather find your own things? Do you like questions? How much guidance do you think is best? I know every student is different but I want to create the best rotation environment possible.

What if preceptor is busy. Do you get bored or what would you rather do?

I like a preceptor that does not grope me.
 
I like a preceptor that challenges me and doesn't just give me a bunch of DIs to do.

When preceptors do the "well what about this...", "what if....", "and?", etc.

I like projects where I can learn skills like presenting, making recommendations, reading charts, etc.

I don't want to be on a computer all day to write a long ass DI/monograph. That isn't a challenge for me. It's just tedious.

EDIT: also I've made like every IV possible at my job. I don't want to make IVs all day 😀
 
Hard to say. I like getting to do things I haven't done before or picking up new skills. I like being ingrained as much as possible into whatever is going on. It's nice to feel productive and like I am learning. I like feeling like I am learning how to be a pharmacist. Not a huge fan of being put on the spot, but I guess it comes with the territory sometimes.

I dislike busy work or TOO much free time. :laugh:

Depending on the situation I am +/- on being groped.
 
I like getting asked questions, but not just a simple yes/no or which drug/dose... need to have a "why?" follow up too.

Make me feel like part of the operation, rather than an outsider/guest. Include me in the day to day stuff, unless it is really irrelevant. I can understand not including the students in stuff like managing tech schedules or salaries. Staff meetings with new policies, on the other hand, are probably relevant to us.

If you're busy, explain what you're busy with and if we can help. I feel like rotations are a practice run at the preceptor's job, to prepare you to be a pharmacist in that setting. If you're off working on some mysterious tasks all the time, I have no idea what your job really entails, and I won't be prepared to practice if that's a part of the job.

Don't give me an assignment as a timesink, make it useful. Doing a DI just so I'm out of your hair for hours isn't great, but a DI that is relevant to something we were discussing on rounds could be helpful.

I guess groping is okay if you meet joe's criteria.
 
I like a preceptor that challenges me and doesn't just give me a bunch of DIs to do.

When preceptors do the "well what about this...", "what if....", "and?", etc.

I like projects where I can learn skills like presenting, making recommendations, reading charts, etc.

I don't want to be on a computer all day to write a long ass DI/monograph. That isn't a challenge for me. It's just tedious.

EDIT: also I've made like every IV possible at my job. I don't want to make IVs all day 😀

Aren't we special. :meanie:

Most preceptors have a set of projects that while the contents may vary, the setup is more or less the same. Eg, I make every student do a journal club and a topic presentation. I don't make students do drug monographs since they tend to just copy lexicomp or package insert.
 
Last edited:
Aren't we special. :meanie:

Nope. Not special at all. I actually like getting pimped. It makes me think. I want to be useful to the team but not just used as extra labor. It's happened to some of my schoolmates.

I know that school doesn't always teach the practical knowledge so I'd love to soak up as much as possible. My IPPE rotations have been awesome because my preceptors took my experiences into consideration allowed me to do more things I didn't have a lot of experience with....like talking to patients. Working in hospital doesn't give me a lot of patient interaction skills. 🙁
 
Nope. Not special at all. I actually like getting pimped. It makes me think. I want to be useful to the team but not just used as extra labor. It's happened to some of my schoolmates.

I know that school doesn't always teach the practical knowledge so I'd love to soak up as much as possible. My IPPE rotations have been awesome because my preceptors took my experiences into consideration allowed me to do more things I didn't have a lot of experience with....like talking to patients. Working in hospital doesn't give me a lot of patient interaction skills. 🙁

I was half joking, half serious that some students feel that they are entitled not to do this or that or what not. Sure, preceptors should take students baseline into consideration, but know that you are a student, not in a position to dictate terms to your preceptors.
 
I was half joking, half serious that some students feel that they are entitled not to do this or that or what not. Sure, preceptors should take students baseline into consideration, but know that you are a student, not in a position to dictate terms to your preceptors.

I know. I'll do whatever, honestly. I'm not above taking out the trash st the end of the day or whatever. But I am serious about the gaining skills part. I don't want a preceptor to give me busy work just because they can't be bothered to have some one on one time. We definitely don't dictate the terms but we certainly have a right to bring up issues (like being used for free labor and not learning much) to the experiential coordinator. We pay a lot to be educated. I think it's fair to assume you will gain certain essential skills on rotation.
 
Most preceptors have a set of projects that while the contents may vary, the setup is more or less the same. Eg, I make every student do a journal club and a topic presentation. I don't make students do drug monographs since they tend to just copy lexicomp or package insert.
Unless you're an elective rotation, the school mandates a few minimum assignments. Acute care has a journal club, formal soap, DI paper, and patient case presentation. Inpatient has 2 journal clubs, 2 DIs, ismp report, and ADR report. My preceptors have all assigned tasks beyond that, but those are all required.

I agree that monographs usually aren't worthwhile, unless it's something brand new and you can present the drug to the staff.
 
I know. I'll do whatever, honestly. I'm not above taking out the trash st the end of the day or whatever. But I am serious about the gaining skills part. I don't want a preceptor to give me busy work just because they can't be bothered to have some one on one time. We definitely don't dictate the terms but we certainly have a right to bring up issues (like being used for free labor and not learning much) to the experiential coordinator. We pay a lot to be educated. I think it's fair to assume you will gain certain essential skills on rotation.

Fair enough, but only in an ideal world. Remember preceptors still have to do their job when they have a student. Whenever I have student, I have to stay behind to do things that didn't get done because of that. Some preptors do this out of sense of duty and because they want to do a good job both working and teaching, but others take students because its in their job description and they have no choice. I can see the latter's point of view, it's a job, not everyone want to work without pay for some student's benefit.
 
Unless you're an elective rotation, the school mandates a few minimum assignments. Acute care has a journal club, formal soap, DI paper, and patient case presentation. Inpatient has 2 journal clubs, 2 DIs, ismp report, and ADR report. My preceptors have all assigned tasks beyond that, but those are all required.

I agree that monographs usually aren't worthwhile, unless it's something brand new and you can present the drug to the staff.

That's for throughout P4. Students do ask for things short on, I can add that to JC and TP. Frankly, I personally think a student can never have enough practice in critiquing journal articles or presenting a therapeutic topic. Heck most PGY-1 residents leave much to be desired.
 
Fair enough, but only in an ideal world. Remember preceptors still have to do their job when they have a student.
indeed. And most of the time, giving a student work doesn't save me any. It usually creates more (have had some exceptional students that really are an asset...most, not so much). Precepting is a ton of work and I don't think students appreciate how much work it is.
 
indeed. And most of the time, giving a student work doesn't save me any. It usually creates more (have had some exceptional students that really are an asset...most, not so much). Precepting is a ton of work and I don't think students appreciate how much work it is.

Word. I appreciate the eagerness to learn, but sometimes I need time to get stuff done. Watching me do track changes on some bad resident abstract isn't all that exciting.
 
OP asked student.....why are you preceptors responding?
 
What you doing is no threadjack.

You ain't learnt that from me.
 
OP asked student.....why are you preceptors responding?

Cuz I'm a student . . . OF LIFE.

I like a variety of experiences . . . I'm ADHD. Show me a drug interaction and what you will do with it. Show me a rare IV and let me do it. Let me shadow the surgeon for half the day.

I will also never let me students do hard labor or clean. Unless they compounded something, then they will have to wash mortle, pestle, etc. But I won't ask them to sweep, take out trash, etc.
 
gauge your "curriculum" to the student and his/hr past work experience and rotations if possible. I just finished IPPE and my preceptor had me to do very basic things like filling/labeling b/c I have never worked in a pharmacy before. Another student who had worked as a tech for 3 years didn't have to do that and did more "complicated" things like trying to counsel and such. I liked that because it adjusted to our level of knowledge. I would have been overwhelmed doing my co-rotation student's stuff and she would have been super bored doing my stuff.
 
What you doing is no threadjack.

You ain't learnt that from me.

Yes it is. You just need more beer. 😛. Visiting Austin, totally awesome mix of food, live music...and more beer than you can shake a stick at!
 
What about Dallas? My lifelong Texas-avoidance may be coming to an abrupt end this December... is there life in Dallas outside the airport? :laugh:

And I second all those who said students don't realize how much work precepting entails. I have been noodling the idea of creating a rotation where I work - but I am having a hard time thinking of projects I could let students do and be comfortable enough not to recheck from start to finish... I don't want to create a pure fluff rotation either...
 
What about Dallas? My lifelong Texas-avoidance may be coming to an abrupt end this December... is there life in Dallas outside the airport? :laugh:

And I second all those who said students don't realize how much work precepting entails. I have been noodling the idea of creating a rotation where I work - but I am having a hard time thinking of projects I could let students do and be comfortable enough not to recheck from start to finish... I don't want to create a pure fluff rotation either...

Now that I moved out of DFW, there's nothing left there.
 
Short mini skirt ....stilettos.. push up bra... you're hired.
 
But I think you're lying .....we all know there's no job out there.
 
But I think you're lying .....we all know there's no job out there.

There are no opportunities for people who do not open doors for themselves.

We are past the time where jobs are handed to anyone with a pulse and license. Individuals who go above and beyond during school and post graduate education will have their pick of jobs. Kind of like me.
 
I like preceptors that will let me see what they do specifically as a pharmacist and will require me to think critically. I don't like rotating around places where I'm essentially an extra technician and only learn technician related duties.
 
OP asked student.....why are you preceptors responding?

GirlGif.gif
 
There are no opportunities for people who do not open doors for themselves.

We are past the time where jobs are handed to anyone with a pulse and license. Individuals who go above and beyond during school and post graduate education will have their pick of jobs. Kind of like me.

Show off...
 
Top