Guaranteed preceptor techniques: a review

Let me conclude by reviewing the 16 absolutely guaranteed preceptor techniques. Again, if you follow these 16 techniques, they will work. And you will find them to be successful. And they’re not that difficult to do. It’s just a matter of focus and commitment to principles and practices that have been shown to work. First one is “master the fundamentals.” Identify what students really need to learn and make sure that they achieve those to a level of excellence rather than expecting them to learn everything. Ask Don’t Tell. Don’t teach, ask. Gets students to think on their own by probing them with questions that will stimulate critical thinking. Tell me why. At every opportunity, tell students to explain their answers.

Explain the mechanisms behind whatever is that they recommended. Always probe and dig deeper, and make them think at a deeper level. Automatic recall. If there’s items that should be memorized code, cause the students to memorize them. Separate them out, and provide a quiz that requires the students to recall that information. Real-time feedback. Right away. Pinpoint feedback. Very specific toward the item being addressed. And net positive feedback. Even when we need to be constructive with students. Overall, they should receive a net positive of communication from the preceptor. Normalize error. Mistakes are normal with students. They should be viewed as something that’s wrong or something that warrants some type of reprimand.

When a student doesn’t know something, they should fix the problem and learn whatever it is they need to learn. They make a mistake, they should be guided to correct the mistake and learn from it. No phone zone. There needs to be a policy as to how students can access their phones or any other such a distraction that might limit their learning. Minutes matter. Preceptor needs to identify time commitments, how long meetings will last? How meetings are organized? Such that they make an efficient use of time. And when and where students need to be or where the preceptor needs to be? So to respect everyone’s time and make the most efficient use of it. To light a fire.

To focus on motivating students and inspiring students. To want to be good pharmacist and to want to learn. To not neglect the need to motivate students. And find a way to inspire them to do better. Rules are rules. The policy need to be set. They need to be clearly communicated. And preceptors need to enforce those policies. If they don’t, the violation will continue. But using the PERF process and the Oz protocol, it’s not that difficult to correct performance deficiencies when the rules are violated. The Oz protocol simply says diagnose the problem before you try to correct it. Is there a problem of competence? Is there a problem of student commitment?

Or is there a problem of the students just lacks confident to do whatever it is they’re asked to do. Attitude check. Preceptor should maintain a positive attitude and upbeat attitude at all times. And optimistic approach to student learning and to patient care. Same team. Students are not opponents. They’re not adversaries. Everyone’s on the same team trying to pursue victory. And the last absolutely guaranteed preceptor technique is 24/7. Preceptors are role models at all times. It should be demonstrating good professional behavior, good emotional intelligence, upbeat attitude and commitment to students and patients at all times. Let me conclude our 5-series program. With some final words from coach Wooden.

Now he is the one who said, “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” So we need to pay attention to the details. If everything is well coordinated, details are addressed, well planned out and well-organized, our rotation is probably gonna be very effective. John Wooden also says that he considers it a sacred trust, helping to mold character, and still productive principles and values, and provide a positive example to those under his supervision. If you pursue precepting with that same attitude, as a sacred trust, that these students are entrusted to you as a preceptor. And that their development, their learning, their personal growth and professional growth is in your hands.

If you view it that way, that type of responsibility, and you apply the techniques and the principles that we’ve talked about in this session, you will find yourself to be great preceptor as part of a great rotation. In that situation, you will find that your students will see it to be an excellent learning experience. And that the results will often be excellent performance. But most importantly, you will find it to be a rewarding experience, or students will find it to be a rewarding experience. And it will be a success based on mutual transformational relationship that will develop between you and your students.

If you approach precepting from that perspective, the TMU program should be one of the best, in fact it should be the best six-year pharm.D program in Taiwan. And so I would encourage you to make that is your vision. When you are a preceptor for the TMU APPE program, when students in their last year come to you, you are part of a team. That’s going to ensure that the graduating class of the six-year pharm.D program at TMU is the best six-year pharm.D program in Taiwan. When that happens in the first time, in a few years, and every year thereafter. TMU produces the best six-year pharm.D grads in Taiwan. You will be a part of making that happen.