Brief report: Utilizing an audiotape for outpatient preceptor faculty development.
BACKGROUND
Faculty development for busy and geographically dispersed ambulatory preceptors is a difficult task for course directors.


OBJECTIVE
A faculty development audiotape intended for playing in the preceptor's car was created. The feasibility of this form of faculty development was tested in this pilot study.


METHODS
A short audiotape, focusing on strategies for the provision of independence to students in the office setting, was made and distributed to all preceptors of students taking a fourth-year required clerkship in ambulatory medicine. Preceptor behavior was reported by students on postclerkship evaluations before and after tape distribution.


RESULTS
In the year before tape distribution, 21% of evaluations indicated a lack of independence on the part of the student, compared with 14% in the year following the intervention (P=.03). There was no regression of behavior among preceptors already providing independence. Among the preceptors initially identified as not following recommendations for student independence, the percentage of evaluations indicating a lack of independence went from 72% preintervention to 42% postintervention (P<.001).


CONCLUSIONS
A short audiotape is a novel form of faculty development, which was acceptable to preceptors and may influence teaching behavior in the desired manner.
Willett
Laura Rees
LR
Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA. willetlr@umdnj.edu
D000553:Ambulatory Care; D002982:Clinical Clerkship / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005178:Faculty; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000193:education*; D011231:Preceptorship / Q000379:methods*; D013192:Staff Development; D013637:Tape Recording