Medical students play an active part in the patient care delivered by preceptors.
They see patients, ask detailed questions, perform examinations and make observations. This role cannot be denied. In fact, students often enhance patient care by spending extra time with patients and providing more data than the preceptor could obtain alone. Keeping students' documentation in a separate teaching file is impractical for this reality and for other logistical reasons of cataloging and space. The care is entirely the preceptor's responsibility, but the record may be a team effort.