Preceptor perceptions of the importance of experiential guidelines

Objectives: To assess preceptors' perceptions of the importance of experiential guidelines and identify and compare differences in perceptions.

Methods: Active advanced and introductory pharmacy practice experience preceptors for the University of New Mexico were invited to participate in an anonymous electronic survey regarding the importance of specific tasks and abilities expected in new pharmacist practitioners as outlined in Appendix C of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Standards and Guidelines.

Results: While the majority of preceptors rated most tasks (eg, communication, patient counseling) as very important or important, emerging tasks (eg, health literacy, public health, physical assessment) were not rated as highly by a majority of preceptors.

Conclusion: The deficiencies identified in the study suggest potential reductions in the transfer of learning from preceptors to experiential students. Preceptor training programs should be structured to raise the perceived level of importance of these tasks.