title: Identifying oneself as a teacher: the perceptions of preceptors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Attracting and retaining qualified medical educators will be a continuing challenge as physicians feel more pressure to produce clinical revenue. With this paper we hope to begin to identify how clinical teachers, judged as excellent by their peers, establish their professional identity as physician and teacher.
  
  
  METHODS
  This qualitative study examines the views of 10 clinical teachers to identify the characteristics excellent preceptors attribute to their teaching identity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This study revealed four themes that influence faculty teaching identity: underlying humanitarianism, familiarity with adult learning principles, understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of teaching, and the image of self as teacher.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using the findings from this study, suggestions are given to faculty developers for activities to increase physician identity as teacher.
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ellers
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Orgren
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Qualters
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008404:Massachusetts; D010819:Physician's Role; D011231:Preceptorship / Q000592:standards*; D011361:Professional Competence; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods