My first experiences with performing a precepting role with responsibilities was during the January block.  I had interacted with and worked with the students previously, but I did not have much involvement in their overall experiences.  During the month of January, we had two students at the pharmacy.  Apart from creation of the calendar, I was given complete reign over one students experience.  I used this time to get to know the student’s aspirations to help determine which activities would most align with her career goals.  I used this information to help focus her activities to what would be most helpful. The student also had a handful of projects to complete during her month at our pharmacy.  When the student submitted the projects for feedback, I could have given them a faster turn-around on the materials so they could finish their project sooner. I also found it incredibly difficult at first to reign the students in from distraction.  With two students working together, they would frequently talk while they were working.  This did not bother me until it reduced their productivity and created a distraction for the pharmacy employees.  As the month came to an end, keeping the students on track became easier. 

 

For the next three students I was given complete control of the experience, creating the student calendar, determining their projects, providing feedback on their projects, completing their evaluations, etc.  These experiences really showed me the amount of time that goes in to precepting students, especially in such a small work area.  After their midpoint and final evaluations, I asked them about improvements I could make as a preceptor and for different activities they were interested in experiencing prior to the end of their rotation.  I used this information to help tailor the experience more to the individual student, as well as to use for future students to improve my overall precepting abilities.

 

Throughout all of my precepting experiences, I have had to learn how to handle difficult interpersonal situations, like students not getting along with staff.  Not only did working through this situation with the student and staff member help my precepting skills, but also tested my leadership and management ability.  It also allowed me to utilize the feedback skills I have developing throughout my time as an evaluator in the Purdue laboratories.  Coming up with projects for the students was not always the easiest task, but I always tried to work with the student so they would be working on projects that interested them.  Overall, having the opportunity to precept these students has been a learning experience for both them and me.  I feel more comfortable and confident in how to provide students with the required experience while also tailoring the experience to their interests and ambitions.