Recruiting
Retaining
Rewarding
Participants who attend this session will be able to:
 State two strategies each for recruiting, retaining, and
rewarding preceptors in a dietetic internship,
coordinated program, or ISPP setting.
 Explain how preceptor best practices could apply in
general education settings.
 Develop a plan to implement at least one strategy in
the participant’s specific setting.
 Learning Need Codes: 7000, 7090
Level 1
 Since 2003, the number of DI slots has not kept pace
with the number of DPD students seeking internships
 Result =
~50%
match
rate since
2007
CADE Connection July 2011
 Lack of preceptors was identified as the #1 barrier
in efforts to expand DI slots
ACEND, accessed March 2012 at
http://www.eatright.org/ACEND/content.aspx?id=6442464994
 Clearly, our profession needs to:
 recruit more preceptors
 retain those we have and those recruited
 reward current and future preceptors as
a statement of how much they are valued
 DPD Directors: Build the expectation for acting as
preceptors into students while they are still in our
programs
 Alumni Communications: Remind alums who are
RDs that they would not be where they are without
their preceptors
 DI Directors: Stay connected with your state and
local dietetic associations in order to build working
relationships with RDs who can serve as preceptors.
 ACEND: Building the Preceptor Database
 http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/preceptorinterestsurvey
is the link to the database for interested preceptors-to-be
 Please encourage potential preceptors to volunteer!
 At this point, the database is available to program directors
only, and ACEND shares names based on region
 In the future, names might be made available to students
seeking preceptors, but only with previous preceptor
permission (cf. Find an RD…)
 Suggestions?
We need to understand that preceptors are
usually facing a lot of strain in order to
precept.
Most RDs do understand the importance of
precepting and are probably willing to
support the profession in that way.
But their place of work might not be so
understanding and supportive.
 Provide the resources to make precepting as
smooth as possible
 Most students will require more supervision
than they will provide aid.
 Streamline reports and competency tracking,
etc.
 Rotate preceptors regularly so that you do not
overburden any one preceptor or host
institution
 Suggestions?
 Current ideas
 Provide CPEUs free of charge
 Preceptors are RDs, too, and need to keep up their
professional development
 Honor a Preceptor of the Year for your program
 A monetary component of the award is a nice bonus.
This might be financially possible when payment to
preceptors is not possible.
 Thank you to ACEND for supporting a national
Preceptor of the Year through NDEP!
 Current ideas
 NDEP is providing honorary membership for a
year to encourage preceptor networking.
 Gifts are another way to provide financial reward
even when direct payment is not possible
 Gift cards
 Host an appreciation meal
 Provide a resource (text, DVD, software?) needed by
the preceptor’s host institution
 Current ideas
 Set up a lunch meeting with preceptors at the
end of the year and review how the year went
and thank them.
 Suggestions?
 Ulric Chung, ACEND Executive Director
 Toni Martin, NDEP coordinator, Area 3
 Victoria Getty, NDEP coordinator, Area 5
 Ana Abad-Jorge, NDEP coordinator, Area 6
 Rayane AbuSabha, NDEP coordinator, Area 7