Advanced Respiratory Therapist
Preceptor Clinical Information
Thank you for mentoring our students. We
appreciate all of your hand work and efforts in
training our students to be exceptional respiratory
therapists. Your expertise and knowledge is an
important contribution to the success of our
program.
Please do not hesitate to contact me, Jennifer Schoolfield,
anytime you have questions or concerns.
580-250-5641
jschoolfield@greatplains.edu
Mission Statement
The mission of the Advanced Respiratory Therapist program is to
provide the instruction and resources necessary to enable
individuals to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes that
will allow the student to become a successful and competent
professional respiratory therapist.
Purpose of the Clinical Preceptor Program
The purpose of the clinical preceptor program is to assist the student to make
a smooth transition from the role of a student to the role of a therapist. This
includes patient care skills as well as respiratory skills integrated in a true
hospital setting. To accomplish this, it is necessary to provide the student with
realistic clinical staff experience to allow the student to care for various types
of patients in the clinical setting receiving different types of respiratory care.
The Role of the Clinical Preceptor
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You, as the clinical preceptor, have been given one of the most important roles in
the education of future respiratory care practitioners.
The clinical preceptor plays more than one role when working with students: a
teacher who imparts knowledge and/or skills, a leader who guides them, a team
member who is associated with them in a joint effort or action, role model who
sets a professional standard for imitation, a consultant who advises them and a
facilitator who makes good experiences happen.
Your part in the education of competent, dedicated, compassionate practitioners
helps ensure a bright future for our profession.
Responsibilities of the Clinical Preceptor
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Provide clinical experiences for the students in the Advanced Respiratory Therapy program.
Orient students to the unit they are assigned, including the equipment room, and shift
responsibilities (shift report, staff assignments, charting procedures, oxygen rounds.)
Provide the student with the appropriate paging/cell phone system so the student can find their
preceptor if they become separated.
Direct students to clinical situations, which would provide students with opportunities to meet
goals and objectives, increase skills and pass competencies evaluations.
Act as a clinical resource person for the student.
Be a role model demonstrating responsible Respiratory Therapist behavior.
Provide evaluation on the student’s behavior, attitude, and skills through the use of the daily
evaluation form.
Consult with the Director of Clinical Education regarding observed student behavior, attitude and
skills that are unacceptable such as:
Content or skill weakness in a given area.
Behavior or attitude problems which in the opinion of the preceptor is counter-productive to
Respiratory Care.
Lack of technical competence.
Participate in preceptor training, at least annually, to ensure inter-rater reliability. This may be an
in-service or a review of the preceptor training manual.
Responsibilities of the GPTC student
• Perform patient care under the supervision of a clinical preceptor.
• Monitor student competency list for completion.
• Discuss with the preceptor what competencies the student needs
to complete.
• Notify the clinical site and the Director of Clinical Education of any
tardy or absence in a timely and appropriate manner according to
policy set forth in the student handbook.
• Adhere to the GPTC guideline for appearance, dress,
badge/identification, behavior and a tobacco free policy.
• Conform to all the policy and procedures particular to the clinical
facility.
• Participate in the evaluation of the clinical facility.
• Adhere to policies set forth in the Clinical Handbook.
AARC Statement of Ethics and Professional
Conduct
In the conduct of professional activities the Respiratory Therapist shall be bound by the following ethical and
professional principles.
Respiratory Therapists shall:
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Demonstrate behavior that reflects integrity, supports objectivity, and fosters trust in the profession and its
professionals. Actively maintain and continually improve their professional competence and represent it
accurately.
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Perform only those procedures or functions in which they are individually competent and which are within the
scope of accepted and responsible practice.
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Respect and protect the legal and personal rights of patients they care for, including the right to informed consent
and refusal of treatment.
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Divulge no confidential information regarding any patient or family unless disclosure is required for responsible
performance of duty or required by law.
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Provide care without discrimination on any basis, with respect for the rights and dignity of all individuals.
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Promote disease prevention and wellness.
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Refuse to participate in illegal or unethical acts, and refuse to conceal illegal, unethical or incompetent acts of
others.
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Follow sound scientific procedures and ethical principles in research.
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Comply with state and federal laws which govern and relate to practice.
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Avoid any form of conduct that creates a conflict of interest, and shall follow principles of ethical business
behavior.
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Promote health care delivery through implementation of the access, efficacy and cost of patient care.
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Refrain from indiscriminate unnecessary use of resources.
INTER-RATER RELIABILITY
The Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care’s (CoARC)
“Standards and Guidelines” requires programs to demonstrate interrater reliability among those individuals who perform student
evaluations. Those Respiratory Therapists who as instructors at the
clinical site (preceptors) undergo training to ensure evaluation of
students is consistent, fair, timely and assess appropriate learning
objectives. Demonstrating inter-rater reliability involves having more
than one evaluator assess a single incidence of student performance,
using a specific evaluation instrument to measure consistent
assessment among those evaluators. This can be achieved by either
live performance or by videoed performance. Each preceptor should
be annually assessed for inter-rater reliability, as well as the Great
Plains Technology Center ART program faculty.
INTER-RATER RELIABILITY
Great Plains Technology Center ART program requires students to be
evaluated daily on clinical performance. Each preceptor should be
given an evaluation form at the end of the student’s clinical day. The
preceptor may choose to fill it out immediately and give it back to the
student or the preceptor may choose to keep the evaluation form and
place it in an envelope that has been provided for the hospital/clinical
site.
There are five categories on the rating scale: NS = not satisfactory, NI =
needs improvement, S = satisfactory, P = proficient and NO = not
observed. The following slides contain a list of sample descriptors for
the criteria used in measuring clinical achievement. These descriptors
should be used as a guideline to help the preceptor determine which
rating to use in each evaluated area.
PROFICIENT
• Consistently superior in clinical performance, skill, synthesis
of learning and application of respiratory principles.
Functions above expectations of student (respiratory) at
this level.
• Is able to function safely and effectively with minimal
guidance.
• Demonstrates superior ability to make alert and informed
observations.
• Clinical performance is beyond expected level for current
skill set.
• Seeks out and assumes responsibility beyond that required.
• Consistently seeks learning experiences.
• Consistently demonstrates expected professional conduct.
SATISFACTORY
• Safe clinical performance: demonstrates expected
skills, synthesis of learning and application of
respiratory principles at expected level.
• Functions safely with guidance.
• Demonstrates ability to make expected observations.
• Demonstrates ability to relate and apply textbook
knowledge: clinical performance is at expected level.
• Assumes responsibility for assignments.
• Usually seeks learning experiences.
• Adequately demonstrates expected professional
conduct.
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
• Limited clinical performance: demonstrates skills with prompting.
Inconsistently able to synthesize learning and application of
respiratory principles at expected levels.
• Tentative, confused, low confidence. Incomplete documentation.
• Demonstrates ability to make observations with prompting from
preceptor.
• Appears unclear or unorganized relating and applying textbook
knowledge: clinical performance not at expected level.
• Generally assumes minimum responsibility for assignments, but
sometimes makes excuses for lack of knowledge.
• Rarely seeks out learning experiences.
• Rarely demonstrates expected professional conduct.
NOT SATISFACTORY
• Clinical performance inadequate; indicates lack of skill,
unsafe respiratory practice, inadequate depth of knowledge
or application of respiratory skills. Functions below
expectations of student at this level.
• Does not function safely even with guidance.
• Does not demonstrate ability to make expected, obvious
observations related to patient care.
• Does not demonstrate ability to relate textbook knowledge
to clinical situation at expected level.
• Has difficulty accepting responsibility.
• Seldom seeks learning opportunities.
• Demonstrates unprofessional conduct.
NOT OBSERVED
• Skill or behavior was not observed during the
clinical day.
THANK YOU!!!
Again, I would like to thank you for all that you
do for this program. Without you, we would not
be the excellent program we are today!