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Question & Answer with winners of the Thomas C. Barker Outstanding Preceptor Award
How does serving as a preceptor for an Administrative Resident benefit the preceptor?
BenefitsHow does serving as a preceptor for an Administrative Resident benefit the preceptor?Michael Dudley: Having an Administrative Resident benefits me as a preceptor by providing an extra pair of hands/eyes/ears and by providing fresh ideas, which often stimulates discussion of current issues and problems and how new methods and/or current research findings might be applied. Teresa L. Edwards: Serving as a preceptor has allowed me to give back to the profession by assisting in the development of younger leaders. Students not only bring a fresh perspective to the role by asking questions, but they produce quality work and assist me with accomplishing goals. Overall, having a resident is good for team dynamics. Patrick Farrell: Having an Administrative Resident allows preceptors to keep in touch with the program and in tune with new trends and ideas. It also allows preceptors to evaluate potential “rising stars” for future employment, while simultaneously “giving back” to the field through mentoring. I enjoy the opportunity to serve as a preceptor, and am very impressed with the caliber of the students in the VCU MHA program. Edward A. Smith, Jr.: I enjoy interacting with young, bright, challenging and inquisitive residents. The exchange is exceptionally synergistic: Residents are thirsty for knowledge and experiences which helps them grow professionally and intellectually, and I am interested in a dialogue which helps me understand which is being taught in graduate programs, develop an expanded contemporary vocabulary, and interact with the VCU MHA faculty, etc.
QualitiesWhat professional and personal qualities characterize an excellent preceptor?Dudley: An individual must have strong communication skills including listening, verbal and writing skills. An excellent preceptor must also have an interest in teaching. Edwards: You must be willing to make time for the student and to share your experiences. To enable the growth and development of the student, you must provide honest feedback and networking opportunities and include the student in the leadership team. It is also important to explain the politics of decision making. In addition to being committed to all of these activities, preceptors should lay out expectations and boundaries early on in the residency and communicate regularly with the resident. Farrell: An individual must be successful in the field, be willing to serve as a preceptor, and have an interest in education and development of healthcare administration students. Smith: Excellent preceptors first and foremost need to be committed to and interested in education, and be darn good educators. While residents automatically gain some administrative knowledge via osmosis, a meaningful residency requires that a preceptor take time to teach and interact with the resident. An excellent preceptor also needs to make certain his/her professional skills are up to date in order that they might share cutting edge information and contemporary management techniques with the resident. Excellent preceptors also need first class evaluation and, when necessary, confrontational skills to help the resident grow and mature.
Activities and ProjectsWhat types of activities and projects characterize an excellent administrative residency?Dudley: An excellent administrative residency should include projects with direct application to the success of the organization, projects that can be started and finished during the rotation, and projects that stretch the skills and imagination of the resident. Edwards: To have an excellent residency, the student must be humble, teachable, and willing to seize every opportunity, big and small, and do his/her best. Also, the student must be able to digest, research, and succinctly communicate about complex issues. Farrell: An excellent administrative residency should include participation in meaningful projects and should allow for the resident to take responsibility for a project. Activities should provide opportunities to observe broad areas of the organization, including profit and loss responsibility. Smith: Residents need a variety of projects which build confidence, administrative skills, and a broad knowledge base. They also need to be given projects and assignments which reflect an increasing level of responsibility and authority, even though some of their early decisions may produce less than the desired outcomes. As noted above, it is critically important that residents be allowed to define the scope of a management problem, develop solutions and most importantly experience “the joy and the pain” of implementing the solutions which they develop. Projects need to reflect real issues for the organization and not simply busy work activities. This could include redefining a problem, limiting the scope of a problem, establishing resolution options, writing up the results, and “selling solutions” to management and, most importantly, implementing the recommendations. The quality of resident findings and recommendations are comparable in quality to those of consultants.
AdviceWhat advice would you give to a new preceptor?Dudley: My advice to new preceptors would be to let the resident be involved in selecting projects. Also, let the resident succeed, or fail, and then offer honest observations on what was accomplished, how it was accomplished and the impact the resident had on others involved in the project. Farrell: My advice to new preceptors is to realize that the resident is learning and will make some novice mistakes. Never assume the resident knows something – always ask and make sure. However, give the resident some responsibility – they may surprise you. Most importantly, enjoy the experience. Smith: My advice to a new preceptor:
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