Abstract
BackgroundPreceptorship fulfills the requirements of International Guidelines regarding the training of health care professionals as a method of teaching in clinical settings, during the daily work routine. This study aims to analyze the preceptors’ perceptions about preceptorship and their role as educators.MethodsData were collected via a questionnaire with 35 five-point Likert-type scale statements and analyzed using quantitative and qualitative approaches. The qualitative analysis consisted of two open-ended questions: (1) What is Preceptorship? And (2) What is your perception of the preceptor’s role as an educator?ResultsOut of 619 invited Brazilian preceptors from different health care professions, 327 (52.8%) participated in the study. Among them, 80.7% were females, 35.2% were nurses and 8.9% were physicians. Factor analysis revealed five factors: Pedagogical Competence (F1), Support and educational resources (F2), Educational program planning (F3), Teaching-service integration (F4), and Student presence in the clinical setting (F5). About F1, F3, and F5, professionals from the northeast region had a more positive perception than professionals from the southeast. The item analysis revealed that preceptors learn from the students and consider the service network co-responsible for their training. However, they agreed that only a small part of the health care team participates in the program. Participants described preceptorship as an educational task in a clinical setting, in which active learning methods are used for the training of health care professionals. Preceptorship was considered a bridge between the Unified Health System and the Academic Practice. They envisioned their educator role as a model, tutor, leader, supervisor, and mentor.ConclusionPreceptors expressed a critical view about the nature of preceptorship and their role as educators, recognizing its challenges as well as its potential in clinical settings.
Highlights
Preceptorship fulfills the requirements of International Guidelines regarding the training of health care professionals as a method of teaching in clinical settings, during the daily work routine
This study addresses the need to understand preceptors’ perception of the preceptorship and to give voice to these professionals who work with both health care and education
The preceptors in this study had a positive perception about preceptorship, with a clear vision of their role as educators, role models, tutors, advisors, supervisors, and mentors of other professionals in a clinical setting
Summary
Preceptorship fulfills the requirements of International Guidelines regarding the training of health care professionals as a method of teaching in clinical settings, during the daily work routine. Preceptorship may be defined as a simultaneous teachinglearning method used by the practice professions of nursing, medicine, pharmacy and dentistry in teaching students in clinical settings, focusing on their clinical and ethical development [1,2,3]. The preceptor is a professional with a Preceptorship was implemented in Brazil in 2001. It was established that the training and development of health care professionals should occur at different levels. Girotto et al BMC Medical Education (2019) 19:203 of care and in various settings of the Unified Health System (SUS), mainly in primary care [6]. Its mission includes professional training in clinical settings through the preceptorship method, according to the federal curriculum guidelines for graduation [8]. Preceptors in Brazil work 1:1 with a student or in little groups with six to eight students
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
