This may be the student's first clinical experience. Determining Levels of Student Autonomy Where to start and how fast to progress has to be determined by the preceptor based on both the student's competence and the preceptor's confidence in the student's skill and judgment. An early discussion regarding supervision expectations and what the student will and will not be responsible for is worthwhile. Some students need reassurance that too much will not be expected of them too soon. After observing the preceptor a few times, the first year student might conduct a medical history with a preceptor observing or alone and then make a presentation to the preceptor.
Students often enjoy observing physical examinations and learning what the physician is looking for.
Your daily clinical schedule can provide the framework for the student's experiences and for the teaching opportunities with your student. A good teaching strategy is to begin by going over your daily patient schedule with their student. It is helpful to review the schedule in advance of patient day to identify which patients a student might see and to encourage the student to review their charts and read about their problems in advance. Your discretion will help to screen the few situations where it is not appropriate to involve a student. From the standpoint of time management, it may be appropriate for the student to be involved with only a portion of those patients being seen on a given day.