ROLE OF PRECEPTORS (STAFF CHAPLAINS)
IN THE CPE PROGRAM
During orientation, each CPE student is paired with a staff chaplain who will serve as a preceptor to the student during their CPE unit. In the medical world, a "preceptor" is a teacher, often a peer, who orients and shows a new person the ropes! We believe that staff chaplains, by virtue of their training and experience, are valuable resources for the students' learning. The preceptors contribute to the student's learning in a variety of ways, including:
1)Providing standard orientation to the student in the first week(s):
-Preceptors take their student to the nursing unit(s) and introduce
them to key staff (unit director, care managers, unit clerk, social worker, etc.)
-Preceptors participate in various activities during orientation
(Role Play, Commissioning, Welcome Reception)
-Preceptors are a source of information and consultation about hospital /
departmental procedures
-Preceptors take students with them on crisis calls, to include deaths, in
order to help student learn decedent care protocols and oncall procedures.
2)Providing a model of a professional chaplain and a resource in learning
about clinical situations
3)Providing feedback to student and Clinical Pastoral Educator as part of the student's mid-term evaluation process.
Students are encouraged to utilize the preceptor relationship in ways that best meet their individual needs for growth and learning. Except for the specific orientation activities that are scheduled in the CPE curriculum, it is the student's responsibility to initiate the kind of help that will be useful to him or her. Options include making informal contacts as "nuts and bolts" questions arise about your clinical area; occasionally going on a visit with your preceptor; or shadowing your preceptor at a death or crisis call.
This relationship is not a substitute for CPE supervision, and chaplains and students are asked to be aware of the potential for obscuring these roles. There may be times when your preceptor will direct your question or dilemma back to the relationship with your supervisor, because that is the more appropriate place for exploration of the issue. In general, the relationship with your supervisor is the place where the intrapersonal and interpersonal dynamics of your patient visits and your learning is explored and discussed. Peer group issues or concerns should be discussed with your supervisor to observe peer confidentiality. The chaplains will not have access to your admission material or verbatims, and will not be privy to confidential information about your learning issues.
Please be advised that the supervisor will touch base informally on occasion with your preceptor. Preceptors are asked to speak with the student and the supervisor if they observe behaviors which they find inappropriate or problematic with regard to the pastoral role. This isso that the student may receive help in learning more appropriate ways of responding.
There is usually at least one scheduled meeting (at mid-unit) with the student, supervisor, and preceptor. This meeting is a time when the student and preceptor can give feedback to the supervisor, and each other, about the preceptor relationship and process and discuss the individual student’s learning needs.
rev. May 11
III - 1