Senior preceptorship: faculty-preceptor collaboration

The literature on senior preceptorship focuses principally on student outcomes. Little is known about the teaching-learning processes that produce the desired results. This article describes the dynamics of faculty-preceptor collaboration that fostered bicultural adaptation in students taking a senior preceptorship course. Four areas of conflict in normative expectations between education and practice are addressed: documentation, theory application, time management, and priority setting. The close working alliance between the instructor and preceptors was instrumental in helping students reconcile the conflicting norms in all areas except priority setting. In addition to the benefits to students, the collaboration resulted in mutual appreciation and respect between instructor and preceptors.