Perceived Roles, Benefits, and SupportsFor Dietetic Internship Preceptors

Abstract

Evaluation of university-run dietetic internship programs will improve preceptors' experience and, ultimately, increase the capacity for training future dietitians. We attempted to identify preceptors' perceptions of their roles, benefits, and supports, as well as of the skills/traits that students need for internship, and suggested improvements for the internship program. Fifteen of 39 current program preceptors who had supervised more than one intern consented to participate in an ethics-approved research methodology. They responded anonymously to a series of questions posted in an online discussion group, and provided feedback on the subsequent reports. While no consensus emerged, more than 50% of participants perceived their role as providing a supportive learning experience for interns. Benefits noted most frequently were personal academic growth and contributions to their organizations from intern research projects. Effective supports included conventional communication methods and website materials. Participants identified self-motivation, independence, and communication skills as most important for interns. They also provided several suggestions for program improvements. The study methods and results could be helpful to other university-run internship programs seeking improvement and growth.

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.…”

A dietetic clinical educator enhances the experience and assessment of clinical placement

“…CEs provide generalist teaching and pastoral care to students, and support practitioners in their role as preceptors. Preceptors are practitioners who provide direct teaching and education to students during placement and contribute to the evaluation of performance . CEs have been shown to increase workplace capacity in student supervision .…”

An Australian mixed methods pilot study exploring students performing patient risk screening

“…Studies involving physical therapy students and their clinical care output in acute wards also highlight the value of previous clinical practise (Ladyshewsky et al, 1998). Perspectives of clinical educators were explored using surveys, interviews, and/or focus groups in nursing (Barnett et al, 2008), medicine (Sturman et al, 2011), occupational therapy (Rodger et al, 2011), and dietetics (Ortman et al, 2010), which identified that ill-prepared students, paperwork, and time detract from the benefits of having students on placement. Australian data from 97,319 days of supervised medical student placements analyzed across a variety of healthcare domains concur with these findings, indicating that early student placements require increased supervisory time, costs, and resources (Hays, 2013).…”