MODULE ONE: Roles and Responsibilities

OVERVIEW: Preceptor Education >> Module One >> Role and Responsibilities


Before we delve into the individual roles and responsibilities, Phillips-Jones’ (2002) researched into educational partnerships and they point out that specific processes and skills are required to ensure a strong, successful relationship. They also provide us with a visual tool that outlines both specific and shared skills of the partnership between the preceptor and student.

The Mentoring Skills Model

the mentoring skills model

The two circles represent the student (mentee) and the mentor each with their own attributes. The overlapped section created by the two circles represents the attributes shared by both partners. Together these skills are the ingredients to a successful partnership.

Roles


Student Role

Learning Quickly

  • Observe carefully – there are direct and indirect learning opportunities.
  • Be prepared- study relevant material (protocols/routines) in advance.
  • Demonstrate the integration of knowledge and skill.
  • Seek and accept feedback graciously.

Showing Initiative

  • Appropriately seeks guidance.
  • Clarify expectations.
  • Pursue resources other than those given to you.
  • Be creative with the guidance provided by your preceptor.
  • Know the boundaries of your knowledge and skills.
  • When risks are minimal, try new things and learn from your mistakes.

Following Through

  • Maintain agreed upon time lines.
  • Attempt suggestions made for your success.
  • Discuss, in advance, any changes to assignments, work expectations or time lines.
  • Demonstrate perseverance in the face of adversity.

Managing the Relationship

  • Establishing clear goals and time lines.
  • Be accountable for your actions.
  • Arrange times for feedback exchanges at regular intervals throughout the placement.
  • Prepare for the end of placement to leave the formal preceptor/student partnership on amicable terms.

Preceptor Role

Instructing/Developing Capabities

 

  • Advocate best practice in your discipline.
  • Demonstrate life-long learning by being a seeker of new knowledge.
  • Enlighten the student to the ‘big picture’ of the organization and professional practice where the learning opportunity occurs.
  • Assist the student to engage in formative evaluation and to refocus as required.
  • Lead the student in identifying and locating resources, such as books, journals, or other members of the clinical team.

Inspiring

  • Introduce the student to colleagues who inspire you.
  • Be attentive to unique opportunities that may provide inspiration to the student and make possible their availability to participate.
  • Lead by example.
  • Challenge yourself to performance beyond the merely acceptable.

Providing Corrective Feedback

 

  • Concentrate on behaviour/actions with concrete examples.
  • Offer feedback in private and in a timely fashion.
  • Recommend suggestions for the student to attempt next time; offer to be a resource.
  • Create the best possible environment for student success.

Managing Risks

  • Assist in identifying risk.
  • Encourage development of judgement/actions in the presence of risks.
  • Model preparation for and management of risks.
  • Advocate for the patient and the learner.

Opening Doors

  • Assist in linking the student to learning opportunities within the placement agency.
  • Introduce appropriately those who may influence the student’s professional or career development.
  • Appreciate and promote awareness of contributions made by the learner to the placement agency.
  • Accommodate learning opportunities that arise throughout the placement.

Shared Roles

Listening Actively

    • Sign of a sincere interest and acknowledgement in the individual, while building trust.

http://www2.algonquincollege.com/healthandcommunity/preceptorship/module-one/roles-and-responsibilities/

  • Employ verbal skills through paraphrasing and validating content to exhibit active listening.
  • Employ non-verbal behaviour through eye contact and body language.
  • Most basic skill for both preceptor and student.
  • Graciously wait your turn and be watchful not to rush the speaker.

Building Trust

  • Confidentiality is of utmost importance.
  • Adhere to the boundaries defined by the regulatory college of your profession.
  • Apply ‘I’ statements to express disagreement or a differing view point.
  • Keep promises made.
  • Demonstrate accountability; apologize if you have made a mistake.

Encouraging

  • Express gratitude for any help given to you.
  • Provide sincere positive feedback – this should be done one on one and in front of other people; verbally and in writing.
  • Be complimentary when you notice an action/result of the individual’s effort.

Identifying Goals and Current Reality

 

  • Be conscious of your personal vision and values.
  • Recognize your strengths.
  • Identify and acknowledge areas for improvement and growth.
  • Understand relative factors that impact your performance/achievement of goals.

Most clinical agencies attain a department educator leader (a.k.a., clinical coordinator, clinical instructor or clinical educator) that facilitates and mediates between the clinical agency and the program institution. The roles and responsibility of this person is established by both institutions with predominance on student education and training.


Clinical Coordinator

 

Establish type and frequency of contact between liaison and student/preceptor pair.

  • Provide contact information/options such as telephone, email, visits.
  • Schedule one-on-one sessions with student to assist in meeting program and legislative goals.

Orient student and preceptor to forms and any assignment requirements.

  • Ensure access to evaluation forms, any other required documents or assignment outlines student must complete during placement.
  • Review privacy legislation and legal implications related to student and patient documents.
  • Review completion of forms to ensure understanding of use.
  • Review time lines for completion of forms and assignments.
  • Review process to submit forms and assignments such as electronic submission, facsimile, directly to clinical coordinator.

Review clinical performance evaluation forms when completed and serve as an adviser if student success is in jeopardy.

  • Ensure appropriate student success strategies are in place throughout the placement.
  • Liaise with program coordinator on a routine basis.
  • Establish areas of strength and improvement with attainable goal strategies.

Act as resource for the student and preceptor for clinical experience issues.

 

  • Encourage student and preceptor to review giving and receiving constructive feedback.
  • Encourage student and preceptor to review conflict resolution strategies.
  • Review the completed placement evaluations.
  • Liaise with agency/facility contacts regarding systemic issues.

The Mentoring Skills Model is the perfect way to introduce what a mentor does and is responsible for. The next section will discuss how to perform those roles. The “how of mentoring” involves the personality in which we are conveying information to, and how that personality learns and/or receives information best. The reason for the word personality instead of student is because a personality is comprised of everything the person has encountered in life. Age, culture, education, sex, marital status, etc all play a part in who we are and how we learn and how we teach. This can be overwhelming when you really think about it, and so we’ll keep it simple.


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