Using Social Exchange Theory to Explore Motivational Matching Between Experiential Programs and Preceptors

The recruitment and retention of pharmacy preceptors required for experiential training in PharmD programs pose dynamic challenges. Experiential education offices face barriers such as increasing competition among programs, saturation of practice sites, workplace demands, and preceptor burnout. Recognizing these barriers, this manuscript explores the utility of Social Exchange Theory (SET) as a framework to better understand and enhance preceptor motivation. Exploring SET provides an opportunity to learn more about the science and evidence-based concepts from motivational psychology and behavioral economics, and to translate these insights into strategies for preceptor recruitment, engagement, and retention. At the same time, expectations for high-quality experiential training continue to expand with evolving accreditation requirements and recommendations from organizations such as the Argus Commission. While these factors are complex, theoretical models from other disciplines can be used to illuminate preceptors' motivations and barriers to precepting.