Clinical Partners and Preceptorships

Why preceptorship is valuable

You'll receive many benefits while on your practicum, training and working alongside a preceptor with:

participation in a variety of settings with patients and equipment
experience of the "real world" of practice
socialization into the profession
development of competence and confidence
investigation into employment opportunities
beginning to transition from the role of a student to a graduate to a new employee.

My preceptor was very approachable. If you had a question, she would have an answer for you and not make it feel like it was something you should know. Also, if there was something she couldn't answer, she had no problem admitting that and then helping you find out.

SAIT student

School of Health and Public Safety

My practicum, thus far, has been a really good experience, and I have been treated very kindly; I was even made to feel like part of the team rather than 'the student.' I was also encouraged to express whether or not a situation or schedule was working for me. They were very flexible and accommodating, which was much appreciated!

SAIT student

School of Health and Public Safety

Faculty also benefit from liaising with preceptors and practicum students by:

networking with a variety of preceptors and health care agencies
keeping up to date on the changes in the profession through the preceptors
taking advantage of opportunities to facilitate and encourage preceptor and student growth
gaining an understanding of health care delivery systems in the community
building ongoing relationships with health care agencies in the community.

The value of preceptorship is to take you back to the time that you were a student. It re-focuses our attention to that of the learner, not the seasoned veteran health care professional. Through our preceptor courses, we learn how to transfer our vast amount of knowledge and experience to those students who will someday take our places in the healthcare field. I feel that I would not have been confident to teach today's students at SAIT without my preceptor courses behind me.

Former preceptor, current SAIT instructor

School of Health and Public Safety

As a SAIT faculty member, I have the opportunity to liaise with the preceptors, which allows me to keep up with current changes in my profession and to build relationships through preceptor meetings and training sessions. By working closely with the practicum sites, I have the chance to see how the preceptor is encouraging and developing the learner to become the next generation of health care professionals, which is exciting.

SAIT Instructor

School of Health and Public Safety