A Look at Preceptor Challenges within Organizations: The Case for Medical Laboratory Scientists

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Clinical Laboratory Science
• Medical Laboratory Professionals

Background:

• Clinical education is vital for developing competencies in health professions students.
• Challenges in clinical training can hinder student learning and educator effectiveness.
• Identifying and addressing these challenges is essential for program quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the primary challenges faced by clinical educators in laboratory professions.
• To identify areas where administrative and academic support are needed for clinical educators.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) to clinical educators in laboratory professions.
• The survey included a 48-question assessment with multi-select and open-ended questions.
• Data from 207 respondents were analyzed, focusing on limitations in training students.

Main Results:

• The most significant challenges reported were staffing issues (57%) and time constraints (56%).
• Resource limitations (35.3%) and lack of compensation (25.1%) were also frequently cited.
• Thematic analysis of open-ended questions highlighted time, student engagement, staffing, and resources as key issues.

Conclusions:

• Time constraints, staffing shortages, and student engagement are the most pressing challenges for clinical educators.
• Effective training requires addressing these issues to ensure the development of expertise in laboratory professionals.
• Clinical educators require greater administrative and academic support to overcome training barriers.