These individuals host students in their offices allowing them to participate in the care of patients. They often serve as role models and mentors, in addition to educators. Through them, students observe and practice interviewing and clinical skills, and learn about the practice and business of medicine. The course is designed to teach students interviewing and physical examination skills and introduce them to the professional practice of medicine. This learning takes place in both small group sessions and community preceptorships.
Students meet in small groups every other week where skills are introduced.
Each is matched with a community preceptor with whom he or she works for an afternoon on the alternating weeks. The preceptors reinforce and extend the learning introduced in the group sessions. Approximately 300 community preceptors, located in urban, suburban and rural settings, participate in the teaching of this course. Some community faculty serve as both small group leaders and preceptors. FCM preceptors are family physicians, general internists, or general pediatricians.