Office-based preceptorship: a creative approach to a learning and growth experience

Flexible 4-to-8-week medical student office rotations have both advantages and disadvantages, and they involve several different teaching issues. Among such issues are whether the medical student clerkship can be standardized, yet flexible; how students can gain a meaningful experience, and what this experience should include. Other considerations include the recruitment and retention of preceptors and the issues involved when a preceptor accepts a medical student. Benefits and disadvantages exist for the medical school, the preceptee, and the preceptor. The author outlines methods of evaluating the preceptorship and suggests appropriate recourse for situations in which the goals of preceptorship are not met. The questions raised warrant more research in this area.