Operations / Preceptor onboarding

Preceptor onboarding

Every resident and community preceptor who teaches or assesses students needs to be ready before the student arrives — prepared per Element 9.1, holding the evaluation form, and knowing who to call.

Step 1

List everyone who teaches

You cannot onboard people you have not named.

Residents who will teach or assess students are listed by site and rotation.
Community preceptors are listed by site and rotation.
New preceptors (first year teaching) are flagged for extra support.

Preceptors this term

Step 2

Verify agreements and credentialing

Teaching without a current agreement is an operations and an accreditation problem (Element 1.4).

Affiliation agreements cover every site where these preceptors teach.
Credentialing / onboarding paperwork is current for each preceptor.
Renewal dates are logged so nothing lapses mid-term.

Step 3

Deliver orientation (Element 9.1)

Residents and non-faculty instructors must be prepared for their teaching role — a defined program, not a hallway chat.

Orientation covers: what good teaching looks like here, how to give feedback, how assessment works.
The struggling-student escalation path is explained (who to call, when).
Completion is acknowledged (sign-off or attendance record).

Orientation date

Step 4

Hand them the form early

A preceptor who receives the evaluation form after the rotation cannot evaluate well.

Each preceptor has the correct evaluation form for their rotation.
The submission deadline is communicated in writing with the form.
Mid-rotation feedback expectations are stated (Element 9.7).

Step 5

Name the contact

When something goes wrong mid-rotation, the preceptor needs one name, not a directory.

Every preceptor knows their named contact for problems (clerkship director or coordinator).
Onboarding completion is documented per preceptor.
A mid-term check-in is scheduled for new preceptors.

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Grounded in: Functions and Structure of a Medical School (March 2026) — Elements 1.4, 6.2, 8.7, 9.1, 9.5, 9.7, 9.8 (lcme.org); AAMC VSLO (aamc.org); ACGME Common Program Requirements (acgme.org). School-specific rules come from your own documents.