Meeting the need to train more doctors: The role of community-based preceptors

Community-based precepting is becoming a critical component of Canadian medical education. Calls from the public to train increased numbers of physicians have placed more students in community-based settings. Other countries are facing similar situations. Understanding the factors that make community-based practitioners decide to teach plays a significant role in recruiting and retaining potential preceptors. Ensuring that there are appropriate numbers of trainees and administrative supports, and that there is adequate recognition of these teachers, may be more important than financial incentives. A positive experience has been shown to reduce stress, enhance professional satisfaction and increase patients' perceptions of their physicians. Ultimately, a positive experience can influence a trainee to take root in a community-based setting. Recognizing the most common causes of preceptor burnout will help to protect this group of faculty. Some of the myths surrounding community precepting, including massive time commitments, significant financial impact and poor patient acceptance of medical students, are discussed. Providing a range of tools to further educate and support this group of medical teachers is critical, especially in light of the rapidly expanding number of training positions.