Clinical Instructional Methods Employed by Preceptors in the Clinical Setting

Abstract

Context: Clinical education is critical to athletic training students' professional development. Instructional style can vary between preceptors, and little information is available regarding popular methods used by athletic trainers serving as preceptors. Objective: To uncover the common instructional styles used by athletic trainers supervising athletic training students in the clinical setting. Design: Qualitative study. Setting: Online interviewing via Question Pro™. Patients or Other Participants: Twenty-four athletic training preceptors with an average age of 32±7 years (11 male, 13 female) volunteered for the study. On average, the preceptors had 9±6 years of clinical experience, and had served an average of 5±3 years as preceptors. The preceptors were employed in the collegiate (n=12) and secondary school settings (n=12). Data Collection and Analysis: We completed a general inductive study using online, asynchronous in-depth interviewing via Question Pro™. Credibility was secured using peer review, intercoder agreement, and member checks. Data was analyzed inductively to uncover the dominant themes, and recruitment was guided by data redundancy. Results: Three dominant themes emerged from the data: First, preceptors engaged athletic training students through discussions and questioning to facilitate learning and critical application; second, they provided athletic training students with the independence and autonomy to develop their own clinical style and abilities by providing an authentic experience; and finally, preceptors fostered a learning environment that allowed athletic training students to feel their preceptor was approachable. Conclusions: Preceptors promoted learning by mentoring students through a professional relationship and by creating an authentic learning experience that challenged the student to think, apply their knowledge, and gain confidence by being an active learner.