Benefits Associated With Serving as a Preceptor for Dietetic Interns

Attitudes and Perceptions of the Dietetic Internship Preceptor Role by Arizona Nutrition Professionals

“…7,8,10,14,16 During the formative research stage, 20 current DI preceptors, 5 nonpreceptors, and 3 internship directors were queried about incentives and obstacles associated with being a preceptor and about interactions with interns. Questions were adapted with author permission from prior surveys that explored similar preceptor issues.…”

“…7,8,10,13,14,19 These benefits provide an incentive for new practitioners to mentor interns and seem crucial to cur-rent preceptors' satisfaction and continued service. The intangible benefits and personal satisfaction gained from precepting DIs appear to be strong motivators for practitioners to become and continue as preceptors.…”

“…[7][8][9][10][11][12] These benefits include opportunities to share knowledge and expertise, to improve teaching skills, to gain personal satisfaction and a sense of achievement, to enhance professional knowledge, to contribute to the profession, and to observe the interns advance as professionals. [7][8][9][10][11][12] These benefits include opportunities to share knowledge and expertise, to improve teaching skills, to gain personal satisfaction and a sense of achievement, to enhance professional knowledge, to contribute to the profession, and to observe the interns advance as professionals.…”

“…[7][8][9][10][11][12] The site where the supervised practice occurs also accrues benefits through training DIs. [8][9][10][11][12] These benefits provide an incentive for practitioners to mentor interns and are crucial to preceptors' satisfaction and continued service. [8][9][10][11][12] These benefits provide an incentive for practitioners to mentor interns and are crucial to preceptors' satisfaction and continued service.…”

“…8,9 Most prior research has focused only on the perceptions of current preceptors without consideration of the views of former preceptors, RDs who choose not to become preceptors, and other professionals in the nutrition field such as food service managers. Previous studies examining the dietetic preceptor role are limited in sample size, and no studies of DI preceptors have been conducted in Arizona.…”