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| What is a Preceptorship? |
Preceptorships are like apprenticeships in medicine. Each year,
medical students eager to get a head start on their clinical
experiences are given the opportunity to spend their spring break or
part of their summer learning the ins and outs of medicine from highly
qualified physicians devoted to educating students. These preceptors
participate in the program on a volunteer basis and many will even
offer their students a place to stay if the student is doing the
program away from home.
During the program, students get a chance to interact with
real patients in a one on one environment, perform diagnostic
procedures under the supervision of their preceptor, and get to see
disease processes, diagnoses, and treatments outside of a textbook. The
experience gained in the program varies from preceptor to preceptor and
student to student, but most commonly students will walk away with an
increased confidence in their ability to perform a complete history and
physical exam, a greater appreciation for the doctor-patient
relationship, and much more knowledge about diseases, procedures, and
therapies.
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| Why do a Preceptorship? |
Matthew Herrick
I enjoyed my preceptorship in Internal Medicine. I was matched randomly
with Dr. Joel Kneitz, who works in a private office with three other
doctors at the St. Luke's O'Quinn towers in the medical center (the
building that looks like two syringes on top). I would highly recommend
doing the preceptorship it has helped me a lot with 2nd year so far. It
improved my comfort level with patients, helped me organize my history
taking better, learn what it really is like to work in private
practice, and how to use drug reps to your advantage while remaining
objective in you evaluation of their products. Dr. Kneitz would be a
great doctor to request to preceptor with, he was very helpful and
allowed me to get out of the summer what I wanted. I got to the point
that I would conduct the initial interview with almost everyone of his
patients and then report back to him. Great practice for third year too.
Christy MarshallI spent four weeks of the summer
doing a preceptorship in Dr. Guerra's office in Ft. Worth. It was
amazing!! I would go in and interview the patient, take histories,
examine the patient, and then present the patient to Dr. Guerra. It was
truly a hands on experience, no standing around. I also learned how to
draw blood, how to do/read ECGs and stress tests, and tons more. I
highly recommend the program...you'll learn more than you ever did
sitting in a classroom. The patients are great :)
| | Katie HendleyI participated in the
Internal Med preceptorship program this summer with Dr. Shahla Nader.
Dr. Nader is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Ob/Gyn, and
she specializes in endocrinology in both fields. Her clinics are
located in the Hermann Professional Building. I had an amazing
experience with her. I learned how to take full and focused histories,
performed physical and gynecological exams, and learned so much in the
meantime. She was an outstanding teacher, taking time each day to
review and discuss unusual cases. I would highly recommend this program
to all first year students, even if they are not sure what field of
medicine they are interested in |
| Jenny LeromI did a preceptorship with Dr. Vern Mills
this past summer. Dr. Mills was a wonderful teacher who really cares
about this program and the opportunity to teach medical students.
I learned a great deal about pulmonology, but more than that, I was
able to interact with actual patients. I would recommend this program
and Dr. Mills to anyone who is curious about or interested in internal
medicine.
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| Edgar BullochMy summer preceptorship was an
incredible experience. I had the amazing opportunity of working with a
top-notch oncologist/hematologist in my home town of El Paso. Some of
the things I participated in were daily rounds at 2 local hospitals,
biweekly trips to a rehabilitation hospital on top of seeing roughly 40
to 50 patients in clinic every day. My training included daily
radiology lessons, lab test procedures, chemotherapy techniques (from
mixing drugs with the pharmacist to injecting it with the nurse) not to
mention that I was able to nail down my H and P. |
| Deanna WardI did two preceptorships -- one in
internal medicine and one in family medicine. I had a wonderful time
with both. Dr. Allen Brajer at the Clinics of North Texas (Wichita
Falls, TX) was the internist. He taught me a lot about practicing
medicine. I learned a million drugs, did my first prostate exam (on my
first day), but most importantly I saw what compassion in medicine is
really about. His patients adored him, and he treated each patient as
though that patient was his favorite. My preceptorships were the
highlight of my first year.
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