[December 2, 2019]RVU hosted a Preceptor Reception on Tuesday, November 19th which honored the preceptors who volunteer their time to teach RVU’s osteopathic medical students. Preceptors provide opportunities for students to see patients in a supervised clinical setting, enhancing their skills and guiding their professional and personal growth.
Several preceptors were honored during the ceremony, which took place at the Colorado Springs Marriott. Paul Dubé, MD, and John Gerald Beauman, MD, were honored for reaching their five-year service milestone. Alexios-Clark Christou Constantinides, DO; Michele Su Kem Hor, MD; and Tiffany Willard, MD, were honored for ten years of service. Not present at the event were Lorain Carroll, MD, and Brian Leininger, MD.
Dr. Dubé and Dr. Beauman were both praised by students for their alternative teaching style and mentorship. Dr. Dubé focused on honing students’ clinical skills rather than plain memorization of medical knowledge: “He is very passionate about helping you learn, but not necessarily telling you the answer right away,” said one student of their Pediatric rotation with him. As for Dr. Beauman, one student said, “[He] is a fantastic preceptor – he provides the perfect mix of ‘attending’ and mentor. He has high enough expectations, but not so high that I felt intimidated to ask him questions or answer a question incorrectly.”
Other preceptors were recognized for taking the extra time to teach students, even during busy periods. “[Dr. Leininger] made sure that I understood and was learning from the situation,” said a student. “He truly enhanced my experienced during the rotation. I would love to be a surgeon as caring, knowledgeable and approachable as him.” Similarly, Dr. Hor spent a lot of extra time with students to help them perfect clinic notes and to teach them to document patient encounters appropriately. “Dr. Hor has many strengths among which are her energy, kindness and clinical knowledge. It is clear she wants to help us succeed as much as possible.” Dr. Constantinides’ approach to teaching allowed students to build their confidence in their clinical skills. “He allowed me to do more on my own as the rotation went on and to feel confident about my [Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine] skills.”
On average, preceptors mentor one student a month in a designated specialty. By welcoming students to their practices, preceptors allow students to take textbook knowledge and skills practiced in simulations and apply them to patients in real life.
See more photos from the reception on the RVU Facebook page here.
