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Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
Heritage Hall, Athens, OH 45701
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Orienting Trainees

Preceptor’s Checklist

Administrative
  • Clinic and/or hospital schedule set
  • Teamwork skills discussed
  • Orientation conducted with clinical staff
  • Communication skills discussed
  • Dress code reviewed
  • Contact information provided
  • Patient notice placed in reception area
  • Paperwork/HIPAA/immunizations discussed

Clinical
  • Charting and documentation reviewed
  • Clinic and/or hospital etiquette discussed
  • Learner’s role in the clinical setting clarified
  • IT/EMR instructions (e.g. Do students need training to access the EMR system? How/when will this be done?)
  • Procedure log discussed
  • OMM Procedures explored (when applicable)
  • Patient scheduling arranged (e.g., WAVE scheduling: while trainee is in one room, preceptor is seeing one, two, or three other patients)

Teaching
  • Syllabus and objectives reviewed
  • Recommended readings provided to trainees
  • Feedback and evaluation discussed:
    • Immediate: Assess trainee’s incoming level of knowledge and skills
    • Mid-rotation: Informal and formative feedback
    • End of rotation: Formal and summative feedback
  • Learning contract reviewed (a guide to monitor and direct the trainee’s learning)
  • One-Minute Preceptor strategy addressed

Menu of Items and Issues for Orienting Trainees

An orientation session is important because it provides an opportunity to answer questions and define roles, assess skill levels and experiences, set expectations, and anticipate and head off problems. (Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Preceptor Education Project, 1993)

  1. The Trainee and His/Her Interest
    1. Faculty could discuss his/her family, education, professional experience, role in the community, values and priorities, and hobbies.
  2. The Faculty/Attending
    1. Faculty could discuss his/her family, education, professional experience, role in the community, values and priorities, and hobbies.
  3. Basics of the Environment
    1. During orientation, talk about the community, patient population, and allied health services - hospitals, government health agencies, and others.
  4. Office and Staff
    1. During orientation, talk about the physical plant, equipment, supplies (where things are located), management of the practice (administrative responsibilities), records, charts, computer services, staff members and their responsibilities, library materials, and brief comments on the economics of the practice.
  5. The Patient
    1. It is important to discuss the following: intake procedure for a new patient, history taking, forming a problem list, physical examination, lab and X-rays, blood count, chest X-ray, urinalysis - (which of these can trainee do?), range of services offered to patients in the office, criteria for referral, and ethics/legal issues.
  6. Responsibilities
    1. It is important to talk about the following: the trainee is to take initiative in making the rotation a learning experience, legal restrictions, professional presentation and personal appearance, attitudes towards patients, where the trainee is to report, instructions about where faculty can be reached, and what to do in emergencies.
  7. The Preceptorship/Rotation
    1. It is important to discuss the rotation objectives, the role of faculty as confidant/counselor, the teaching methods most commonly used by faculty, the evaluation form and how it will be used, and the expectations for regular feedback.
  8. Miscellaneous (schedules, phone numbers, contact information)