Abstract
BackgroundPreceptors are key stakeholders in distributed health professions’ education. They supervise students in the clinical setting to enable them to have a practical experience with patients, and they assess students’ skills at the highest tier of clinical assessment. The university where this study was done conducts a distributed Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice course on a distributed platform which is dependent on preceptors at the training sites. Understanding the perceptions of preceptors, as major stakeholders, regarding the student assessment they do will assist the faculty to provide better support and development that might be needed and assist in maximising the benefits of distributed training.AimThe aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of preceptors regarding assessing clinical associate students at district hospitals in the Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice programme.SettingThe study was conducted at a rural university in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.MethodsThis was a qualitative study involving nine preceptors who were purposively selected from three district hospital training sites based on their involvement in assessing clinical associate students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed.ResultsFour themes emerged from thematic analysis: assessment issues, preceptor issues, student issues and university support issues. Preceptors are committed and enthusiastic in training and assessing the clinical associate students but require input from the university in terms of training and ongoing support.ConclusionLack of training threatens the validity of preceptor assessment. Academic institutions should train and support preceptors to enable them better to fulfil their roles.
Highlights
Distributed training of health professionals is a strategy that could significantly contribute to improving the quality, quantity and relevance of health professionals in resource-limited settings.[1]
Clinical associates (ClinAs) are mid-level medical professionals in South Africa who were introduced into the health workforce in 2011 in an effort to address the shortage of health workers in rural areas.[6]
The responses of the preceptors in this study show that they are motivated towards assessment and desire that it should be done better
Summary
Distributed training of health professionals is a strategy that could significantly contribute to improving the quality, quantity and relevance of health professionals in resource-limited settings.[1] It involves training of students outside tertiary academic hospitals that are usually associated with universities Such training could take place in district-level hospitals and appropriate primary healthcare facilities.[1] Preceptors are an important stakeholder in distributed health professions education because they supervise students in the clinical setting so as to enable them to learn through practical experience with patients.[2] Preceptorship ensures that students get individualised experiential learning opportunities, is the interface between theory and real patient management and provides for role modelling.[3] Omer et al include assessment as one of the four key roles of preceptors in addition to the roles of protectors, educators and facilitators.[4] Because preceptors are typically not faculty members of the training institution, they need to be trained before they start precepting students.[5] Clinical associates (ClinAs) are mid-level medical professionals in South Africa who were introduced into the health workforce in 2011 in an effort to address the shortage of health workers in rural areas.[6] Training is offered at the University of Pretoria, University of the Witwatersrand and Walter Sisulu University (WSU) as a 3-year Bachelors in Clinical Medical Practice (BCMP) course. Understanding the perceptions of preceptors, as major stakeholders, regarding the student assessment they do will assist the faculty to provide better support and development that might be needed and assist in maximising the benefits of distributed training
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