Competencies for preceptorship in the Brazilian health care system

Preceptorship is an emerging component of the Brazilian health care system for human resources education. This study attempted to identify competencies for preceptorship in this system.

An exploratory descriptive study was conducted with the Delphi technique. The participants were primary health care professionals from the South of Brazil who were working in nine professional areas, including nursing. The participants had served as preceptors in an educational program promoted by the Ministries of Education and Health.

Forty-three competencies were identified and classified into nine domains: education, professional values, basic public health sciences, management, health care, teamwork, communication, community orientation, and professional development.

The findings showed that preceptors were committed to the education of future health care professionals. The development of pedagogical skills was emphasized, as was the necessity of education before preceptorship. These competencies constitute a useful reference for continuing professional education.