Preceptorships in Seattle
Preceptorships for First & Second-Year Students
A preceptorship is an elective mentored experience in which a practicing physician volunteers to give personal instruction, training, and supervision to a medical student during the first year or through the winter term of the second year of medical school. Preceptorships offer the preclinical student an opportunity to follow a patient over time, to get to know the particular clinical field and to experience a clinical setting. Students report that preceptorships can be an excellent way of preparing for board examinations and clinical training.
Requirements
- Students register themselves for preceptorships via MyUW.
- UWSOM does not waive late registration fees!
- Preceptorship courses are available for matriculated UWSOM medical students only.
Frequently Asked Questions
A preceptorship is an elective mentored experience in which a practicing physician volunteers to give personal instruction, training, and supervision to a medical student during the first or second year of medical school. Preceptorships offer the preclinical student an opportunity to follow a patient over time, to get to know the particular clinical field to experience a clinical setting over a period of eight weeks.
Preceptorships for Seattle students are available in autumn, winter, and spring quarters of their first or second year of medical school. Some preceptorships have prerequisites, such as completed a prior preceptorship or second year standing. Students should begin by contacting the department of interest in advance (normally by the end of the quarter). Students must register themselves for preceptorships on the UW MyPlan website.
Specific departmental requirements are available through the departmental preceptorship coordinator. Availability within each department is limited, and preceptorships are registered on a first come, first serve basis. Please refer to the Seattle Preceptorship Guide in the Resources section below to find the contact information of available departments.
When contacting the department, plan to share your interests and availability. Please have alternate times and quarters available as well. The department will provide you with the SLN number and faculty code for registration.
UWSOM does not waive late registration fees. Registration deadlines are the same as the upper campus Registration Period II dates which can found on the UW Registration website. You will need to navigate to the current Academic year for current dates.
Resources
- Seattle Preceptorships Contact List: includes contact information for departments offering preceptorships.
- Last Updated: 4/29/2025
- UW Academic Calendar (Seattle): includes registration deadlines, and dates of instruction.
If you have questions or need more information, or if you are a physician who would like to become a preceptor, please email the Curriculum Office at somece@uw.edu.