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Preceptor Development

 

What is Continuing Medical Education?

Continuing medical education consists of educational activities that serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships that a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public, or the profession. The content of CME is the body of knowledge and skills generally recognized and accepted by the profession as within the basic medical sciences, the discipline of clinical medicine, and the provision of health care to the public (Source: National Task Force on CME Provider/Industry Collaboration).

 

What is Preceptor Development?

The American Heritage Dictionary online defines "preceptor" as 1. A teacher; an instructor; 2. An expert or specialist, such as a physician, who gives practical experience and training to a student, especially of medicine or nursing; 3. The head of a preceptory.

Chickerella and Lutz (1991) define preceptorship as "An individual teaching /learning method in which each student is assigned to a particular preceptor...so that she can experience day-to-day practice with a role model and resource person."

Other definitions of preceptors and preceptor development can be found at the following websites:

 

What is Faculty Development?

Faculty development refers to those programs which focus on the individual faculty member. The most common focus for programs of this type is the faculty member as teacher. Faculty development specialists provide consultation on teaching, including class organization, evaluation of students, in-class presentation skills, questioning and all aspects of design and presentation. They also advise faculty on other aspects of teacher/student interaction, such as advising, tutoring , discipline policies and administration.

A second frequent focus of such programs is the faculty member as a scholar and professional. These programs offer assistance in career planning, professional development in scholarly skills such as grant writing, publishing, committee work, administrative work, supervisory skills and a wide range of other activities expected of faculty.

A third area on which faculty development programs focus is the faculty member as a person. This includes wellness management, interpersonal skills, stress and time management, assertiveness development and a host of other programs which address the individual's well-being.

While not all faculty development programs include all these areas, most of them have as their philosophy the faculty member as the driving force behind the institution; therefore, assisting that person to be as productive as possibile will make the entire institution more productive.