Preceptorships provide advanced experiential learning in an area of occupational therapy practice for the purpose of advancing skills and knowledge in that practice area. For internationally educated occupational therapists a clinical preceptorship can also be customized for the purpose of developing familiarity with the U.S. health care system.
MS students have taken advantage of preceptorships to gain advanced skills (e.g., burns rehabilitation), participate in program development activities (e.g., designing an energy conservation and work simplification program for individuals with chronic respiratory diseases), develop teaching modules for entry-level program courses (e.g., assistive technology, neuroscience and neurorehabilitation), develop familiarity with health and disability policy, and design and implement scholarly projects.
For all preceptorship experiences, in addition to the site mentor, students are assigned a faculty mentor who guides them through the preceptorship. The student and faculty mentor meet prior to the start of the preceptorship to discuss goals for the preceptorship, a plan of action for achieving the goals, and the evaluation process. The student and faculty mentor meet throughout the preceptorship to discuss the student's progress. Students find the preceptorships to be a rewarding experience that advances their clinical skills and career development.