Prospective Preceptors
Our volunteer preceptors are exemplary community physicians with a strong interest in introducing students to the joys and challenges of providing care to rural and urban-underserved populations.
Busy physicians recognize that their clinic time can be hectic, but every year our preceptors comment on the enjoyment clinical teaching brings. Young, enthusiastic learners challenge them to be at their best and patients enjoy interacting with the students and seeing their physician in a teaching role. Preceptors find shaping and influencing young physicians-in-training quite rewarding. We find them quite extraordinary!
BENEFITS OF BEING A RUOP PRECEPTOR
- CME Credits: RUOP preceptors are eligible to receive CME credits
- Get access to medical library resources through the UWSOM
- UW Faculty Appointment: Community physicians who provide a minimum of 50 hours teaching UWSOM students are eligible for clinical faculty status.
- Information about clinical faculty appointments and applications. Faculty Appointments
WHAT AND WHEN?
RUOP is a four-week, elective immersion experience in community medicine for students between their first and second years of medical school.
Students live in rural or urban underserved communities throughout Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (WWAMI). They work in clinics and hospitals with preceptors like you –experiencing their first extended clinical involvement. This has proved to be a sought after and dynamic learning experience for the majority of our medical students.
RUOP Season: Starts July – August
If you are interested in becoming a RUOP preceptor, please email the Office of Rural Programs at somrural@uw.edu.
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
Along with expanding history-taking and physical exam skills, students are eager to participate in a full range of clinical activities.
- They want to experience through you what it is to be a physician.
- RUOP students are not yet independent. They need your direction and supervision.
- Your role modeling and clinical teaching can shape a professional over their lifetime.
STUDENTS & COMMUNITY
Most RUOP students plan to combine their clinical work with a community medicine experience.
While working with you, students also complete a web-based community medicine course with UWSOM mentors.
- They learn about the social determinants of health
- Assess your community for health strengths/challenges
- Research potential interventions to public health issues and contextualize them to build on existing community assets