The perspective of the community pediatrician

As the focus of health care moves to the outpatient setting, residency programs are seeking alternative training sites for teaching ambulatory primary care. The community pediatrician's office is an excellent location for residents to learn from preceptors who have been trained to teach them. Residents experience a variety of office and practice management issues not otherwise taught in the traditional hospital-based clinics. Pediatrician preceptors, because of commitment to the communities in which they live and practice, are role models for residents. Academic centers have the resources and expertise to train preceptors to become better teachers. The benefits to both preceptors and academic centers, the problems encountered, and suggestions for creating an exciting and innovative teaching program are discussed.