Do volunteer community-based preceptors value students' feedback?
OBJECTIVE
A key component of educational practice is to provide feedback and evaluation to teachers and learners to improve the teaching and learning process. The purpose of this study was to determine whether volunteer community preceptors value evaluation and feedback by students as much as they value other resources or rewards.


METHODS
In Fall 1999, a questionnaire concerning the resources and rewards of preceptorship was mailed to 236 community preceptors affiliated with the Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, Georgia. Preceptors were asked to rate 20 factors on a five-point Likert scale (5 = very important to 1 = not very important). The mean values were compared using t-tests.


RESULTS
One hundred sixty-eight preceptors (71%) completed questionnaires. Preceptors rated evaluation and feedback from students significantly higher (p < .001) than all other factors (mean = 4.02, standard deviation [SD] = .87). Continuing medical education for teaching was the next most highly valued factor (mean = 3.67, SD = 1.14). Preceptors rated financial compensation the lowest (mean = 2.01, SD = 1.19) of all factors. The high rank of feedback and evaluation from students persisted across gender, specialty, length of time as a preceptor, practice location, and years practicing medicine.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that feedback and evaluation from students is highly valued. The knowledge that community-based preceptors highly value feedback and evaluation from students should stimulate medical school programs to provide feedback and evaluation to preceptors that will enhance the educational outcomes for both faculty and learners.
Dent
M Marie
MM
Department of Community Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine, 1550 College Street, Macon, GA 31207, USA. dent_mm@mercer.edu
Boltri
John
J
Okosun
Ike S
IS
D003625:Data Collection; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011231:Preceptorship; D015397:Program Evaluation; D014838:Volunteers