The role and responsibilities of a resident preceptor is both rewarding and demanding. As faculty, we have the opportunity to influence and guide our residents through the most challenging three years of their medical career, and perhaps their lives. It is our collective goal that our residents leave the program, not only as good emergency physicians, but healthy individuals as well. As resident preceptors, we can help and guide them as:
Role Models
Resident Advocates
Career Counselors
Mentors in lecture preparation and Journal Clubs (EM3s)
As preceptors, meetings with preceptees twice a year to discuss concerns, performance, and goals can be most fruitful.
As residents, work and personal life can be quite compressed, leaving little time for resident-preceptor contact outside the department and conference. It should be emphasized that the preceptor can be a valuable source of support. Just as some residents will seek more guidance than other, some attendings will be more active than others in their role as preceptors. The ultimate goal of the resident-preceptor relationship is to have available to residents a more personalized source of faculty support.
