UNMC establishes new preceptor office of excellence

UNMC relies on a robust cadre of preceptors throughout Nebraska to provide crucial hands-on training and mentorship for health sciences students completing on-site rotations. These trusted professionals are often, but not always, UNMC alums, who serve as a vital component of preparing the state’s health care workforce.

But with the expansion of several health professions colleges and programs to UNMC’s Kearney campus at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, UNMC is, in some cases, nearly doubling its efforts to serve the state.

“With our expansion, we run the risk of saturating our current preceptor pool,” said Kyle Meyer, PhD, interim assistant vice chancellor for health care workforce education and relations. “Despite the great support provided by our current preceptors, UNMC is going to need more.”

One solution is the creation of the UNMC Office of Community-Based Education and Preceptor Excellence. This new office provides administrative structure to ensure excellence in experiential learning for students, preceptors, communities and clinical partners throughout the state of Nebraska and beyond. It also serves as a centralized office solely focused on implementing and evaluating the collaborative and sustainable transformation of UNMC’s community-based clinical learning and preceptor network.

A committee of representatives from each UNMC college, as well as representatives from the larger UNMC educational community is being formed.

“The office’s goal is to positively impact the landscape of health care in Nebraska by enhancing statewide, community-based education and ensuring a strong network of training sites,” said Faye Haggar, EdD, who has been tapped to serve as the office’s inaugural manager. Dr. Haggar previously served as the director of education development and academic technology in the UNMC College of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology.

While one of the office’s self-evident goals is to increase the pool of preceptors and clinical sites, it also takes a comprehensive approach to community-based education. The strategic plan provides structure and oversight for three key operational elements:

• Developing and implementing an integrated preceptor/information management system for UNMC.
• Developing integrated systems and programs for preceptor recruitment, training and support. 
• Coordinating interprofessional experiential learning and training opportunities for UNMC students within partner communities.

In other words, to ensure everyone involved in the process is on the same page.

“One goal of the Kearney expansion is to increase interprofessional education,” said Dr. Meyer, who also is dean of the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions. “We not only want to increase the number of preceptors, but we also want to partner with them to develop innovative strategies to precept interprofessional teams of students to work in rural areas.”

“In addition to support from the UNMC community, there has been favorable response from preceptor sites and health systems across the state,” Dr. Haggar said.

The office will use a digital platform called CORE to manage experiential learning, clinical placements and overall program administration, within the health professions fields. In the past, UNMC’s colleges often operated independently with their respective preceptors. Now the med center aims to give every student interdisciplinary-team experience.

“CORE provides a comprehensive institutional view of our current training sites, incorporating information about when and where UNMC students are at any given time,” Dr. Haggar said.

“UNMC’s preceptors are the foundation of experiential learning, providing vital mentorship and hands-on training for our students,” said UNMC Interim Chancellor H. Dele Davies, MD. “Creating a unique office and resource to support our preceptors reflects our deep appreciation for them and our commitment to their success. I also sincerely thank Dr. Faye Haggar and Dr. Kyle Meyer for their leadership in this office, ensuring that we provide high-quality education and opportunities for our students and preceptors.”

For more information about the office, contact Dr. Haggar.