Preceptors' and physician assistant students' views about the value of clinical site visits

To determine preceptor and student views about the value of clinical site visits.

An online survey of preceptors and students was conducted after completion of 1-year clerkships, during which each student received 2 visits from program faculty. An 11-question Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) survey was administered to preceptors and students. Analysis was by descriptive statistics (percentage, mean ± SD) and theme extraction.

Response rate was 70% for preceptors and 77% for students. A majority of both groups agreed or strongly agreed that site visits met a need for clarifying the role of the clerkship, addressed expectations, and improved clinical experience; that visits were important, added value to education, and improved communication with the program. Visits increased preceptor self-reported confidence in faculty. Preceptor themes included "face-to-face validation," "personal touch," and "hands-on interaction." Student themes included "value of direct feedback from site visitor," "ability to improve skills between visits," and "connectedness to program."

Preceptors and students agreed on the importance and value of site visits for improving communication, clinical skills, and quality of educational experience.