Community, hospital and industry preceptor perceptions of their role in experiential placements- the need for standardization of preceptor responsibilities and evaluations on students

Cherie Lucas; Kylie Williams; Jacqueline Tudball; Ramesh L Walpola

doi:10.1016/j.cptl.2018.08.002

Community, hospital and industry preceptor perceptions of their role in experiential placements- the need for standardization of preceptor responsibilities and evaluations on students

Curr Pharm Teach Learn. 2018 Nov;10(11):1447-1455. doi: 10.1016/j.cptl.2018.08.002. Epub 2018 Aug 22.

Authors

Cherie Lucas¹, Kylie Williams², Jacqueline Tudball³, Ramesh L Walpola⁴

Affiliations

¹ Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, 67 Thomas Street, Ultimo Building 7, Level 4, Room 48, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia. Electronic address: cherie.lucas@uts.edu.au.
² Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, 67 Thomas Street, Ultimo Building 7, Level 4, Room 48, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia. Electronic address: kylie.williams@uts.edu.au.
³ Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Room 205 Level 2, Old Teachers', College University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Electronic address: Jacqueline.tudball@sydney.edu.au.
⁴ School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Griffith University, Address: Clinical Sciences 2 (G16) Parklands Drive Griffith University (Gold Coast Campus), Queensland 4222, Australia. Electronic address: r.walpola@griffith.edu.au.

PMID: 30514534
DOI: 10.1016/j.cptl.2018.08.002

Abstract

Introduction: Appropriate evaluation processes are important in experiential placements. With the growing diversity between placements, consideration for standardization of some of these processes would be beneficial, particularly for those skills that are transferable regardless of the placement type. The objectives of this study was: (1) to explore the experiences, evaluation strategies, and feedback processes of Australian preceptor pharmacists from three primary experiential areas (community, hospital, and industry) in providing student placements; and (2) to inform the future development of the current local experiential program and future extended international experiential programs.

Methods: A qualitative, exploratory study with three preceptor focus groups (community, hospital, and industry) were conducted, recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using Bazeley's "describe - compare - relate" method for thematic analysis.

Results: There were a total of 16 participants. Four themes emerged: (1) motivation and purpose of being a preceptor; (2) expectations of students and the university; (3) organizational planning and conduct of experiential placements; and (4) importance of appropriate evaluation and feedback processes to include evaluation of interpersonal skills, which were considered by all focus group members as highly desirable for future employability.

Conclusions: The need for standardized processes across different experiential placements, although difficult given the diversity, is important particularly with respect to evaluation and feedback. As interpersonal attributes are transferable and desirable for all types of experiential settings including rural and international environments, standardizing the evaluation of students to include these could be beneficial and applicable for students on local experiential placements and/or cross globally on international experiential placements.

Keywords: Clinical placements; Evaluation; Experiential education; Feedback; International experiential placement; Pharmacy education.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Australia
Focus Groups / methods
Humans
Perception*
Preceptorship / methods*
Professional Role / psychology*
Qualitative Research
Reference Standards*