Two Pills Tips: You'll Thank Yourself for Self-Reflection!

You have finished with students/residents/learners! Or you’re almost there! While everything is fresh, this is the perfect time to reflect on your experience as a preceptor and consider changes for next year. You will likely receive formal evaluation feedback from students , but self-reflection is key. This tip will discuss some questions to ask yourself to honestly self-evaluate your performance in guiding students on rotations.

• Was I prepared for the rotation?

• Preliminary schedule created

• Key people informed that the learner is coming

• My schedule adjusted to accommodate learner

• Is there anything you want to include for next year?

• Anything you would like to remove?

• Was it well-organized?

• Did I make the learner feel welcome?

• Orienting him/her to the site

• Introducing them to key people

• For me, also means orienting them to the electronic medical record

• Could I create resources/schedules/handouts to make this easier? (Key phone numbers, areas of the EMR frequently visited, etc)

• Did I set individualized goals for students at the beginning of the rotation?

• Many schools require learning plans for students. I also require a pretest at the beginning of the rotation and have students self-identify learning areas. We reflect back on these goals throughout the rotation to keep them accountable.

• Did I act as a role model throughout?

• Did I provide regular feedback?

• Was it both positive and constructive?

• Was it on a regular basis?

• Did I encourage the learner to self-evaluate his/her own performance?

• Were the methods I used to teach/question the most effective?

• Did I use thought provoking questions to link learner’s previous courses to current experience?

• Was student progress observed?

• Did I feel confident in my knowledge and abilities in guiding a learner? What steps can I take to improve as a preceptor?

• Review student evaluations for themes-not just outliers. What do I plan to do to address these areas for improvement and feedback received?

Consider these questions and I recommend making any changes now. You will thank yourself when you have your next set of learners! Thank you for tuning in to Two Pills Podcast!