Rewards and recognition for Canadian distributed medical education preceptors: a qualitative analysis

Background: Recognition of Distributed Medical Education (DME) preceptors by medical schools ensures that important community-based training opportunities remain available to learners. Yet the literature seldom explores what rewards are meaningful to this population of teachers. The goal of our national project was to provide guidance to medical schools about the financial remuneration and non-financial rewards that are most valued by DME preceptors. Methods: In this qualitative study, we invited DME faculty members from all Canadian medical schools to participate in semi-structured interviews. Participants with a range of medical specialties, stages of career, and geographic locations were interviewed via Zoom videoconferencing. The sessions in English and French were audio-recorded and transcribed. We used line-by-line inductive coding and thematic analysis to examine participant talk about meaningful preceptor recognition. Results: Fourteen participants from multiple provinces were interviewed. Results indicated that the DME faculty are a diverse group of people with diverse needs. Most of the interviewees appreciated the rewards and recognition provided by their medical schools but felt that there are areas for improvement. Recognition is not necessarily monetary and should be tailored to the needs and the values of the recipient. Other themes included: benefits and challenges of being a preceptor, current institutional structures and supports, and the impact of the pandemic on preceptors. Conclusions: The interviews highlighted the importance placed by preceptors on personal rewards and a wide variety of forms of recognition. Based on the findings, we suggest specific steps that medical schools can take to support, engage, and recognize DME faculty.