Department of Human Physiology and Nutrition, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO, 80918, USA.
Food Science & Human Nutrition, Iowa State University, 2302 Osborn Drive, Ames, IA, 50011-1078, USA.
BMC Med Educ. 2021 May 16;21(1):277. doi: 10.1186/s12909-021-02700-0.
As is common across the health professions, training of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) requires experiential learning for interns/students to gain skills and demonstrate entry-level competency. Preceptors are essential to the experiential learning component of health care professional training, providing supervision and mentoring as students and interns gain the skills required for entry-level practice competency. Over the past 27 years, 47-73% of applicants to dietetic internships have received a placement. Practitioners willing to volunteer as preceptors are needed to generate more internship or experiential learning opportunities for the profession to continue to meet workforce demands.
The objective of this national-level online cross-sectional survey was to identify perceptions and attitudes associated with the preceptor role and incentives that might encourage precepting by current RDNs. A random sample of RDN and Nutrition and Dietetic Technicians, Registered (NDTR) professionals from the Commission on Dietetic Registration credentialed practitioner database were eligible to participate in the online survey. The main outcome measures included perceptions, attitudes, and preferred incentives to precept compared by preceptor experience categories (current, former, never precepted). Comparisons of perceptions, attitudes, and preferred incentives were made between preceptor experience categories using Chi-square and ANOVA.
Of 2464 invitations, 308 participants had complete variables for analysis. Top incentives were the opportunity to earn continuing education units (65.9%) and having expenses paid to attend a national conference (49.5%). Significantly more (P < 0.001) "former" and "never" preceptors reported the ability to choose when to take an intern, training on how to teach and communicate with interns, and access to an "on-call" specialist as incentives compared to "current" preceptors. Significantly more (P < 0.01) "never" preceptors reported training on internship expectations and the ability to provide input on intern selection process as incentives compared to "current" or "former" preceptors.
Incentives to serve as a preceptor differ based on "current", "former", or "never" precepted status. Promoting and strategizing solutions to the current imbalance between the greater number of dietetic internship applicants compared to preceptors should be targeted based on preceptor status to retain current preceptors, encourage former preceptors to return and recruit professionals who have never served.
与其他健康专业一样，注册营养师（RDN）的培训需要实习/学生进行体验式学习，以获得技能并展示入门级能力。实习导师对于医疗保健专业培训的体验式学习部分至关重要，他们为学生和实习生提供监督和指导，帮助他们获得入门级实践能力所需的技能。在过去的 27 年中，有 47-73%的饮食学实习生申请者获得了安置。需要有意愿自愿担任实习导师的从业者，为该专业创造更多的实习或体验式学习机会，以继续满足劳动力需求。
本项全国性在线横断面调查的目的是确定与实习导师角色相关的看法和态度，以及可能鼓励当前 RDN 担任实习导师的激励措施。从营养师注册委员会注册执业人员数据库中抽取 RDN 和注册营养与饮食技师（NDTR）的随机样本，有资格参与在线调查。主要结果指标包括根据实习导师经验类别（现任、前任、从未担任过实习导师）比较的实习导师角色看法、态度和首选激励措施。使用卡方检验和方差分析比较实习导师经验类别的看法、态度和首选激励措施。
在 2464 份邀请中，有 308 名参与者完成了分析所需的所有变量。排名靠前的激励措施是有机会获得继续教育学分（65.9%）和支付费用参加全国会议（49.5%）。与现任实习导师相比，“前任”和“从未”担任过实习导师的人报告说，有机会选择何时带实习生、接受如何教授和与实习生沟通的培训，以及获得“随叫随到”专家作为激励措施的可能性更大（P<0.001）。与现任或前任实习导师相比，“从未”担任过实习导师的人报告说，接受实习期望培训以及能够对实习生选拔过程提供意见作为激励措施的可能性更大（P<0.01）。
担任实习导师的激励措施因“现任”、“前任”或“从未”担任过实习导师的情况而异。根据实习导师的情况，制定促进和解决目前与实习导师相比，有更多的饮食学实习申请者的不平衡问题的策略，应针对留住现任实习导师、鼓励前任实习导师回归以及招募从未担任过实习导师的专业人员。
