1. Precepting EMT Students
Rolla Technical Institute/Center
Emergency Medical Technician
Information for
Preceptors & Students
Bradley Schafer
Director Fire & Rescue / EMT

2. Objectives Define the role and expectations of the preceptor
Define the EMT training programs at RTI/C
Review training principles and tools used with the adult learner
Review of the paperwork involved for both student and preceptor

3. Definition of a Preceptor
Tutor, Mentor, Teacher, Advisor
Adjunct to the EMS educational process
Documenter and Communicator of the clinical process
Someone who can give Positive and/or Negative feedback to the Student and our EMS program
EMT Preceptors – Paramedics, EMT’s, Nurses or specialist who have been functioning independently in their role for at least one year.

4. Preceptor Roles The eyes and ears of the training program
Help with student succeed and confidence
Provide guidance to both student and program
Share your knowledge and skill with others

5. Preceptor Roles 1st Your Patients 2nd Your Department or Service
Maintain the Highest Degree of Professionalism
Relies different sites have different expectations of students and to educate the student upon how things are done at your site and remember be patient as they may have been shown differently
Be Responsible to:
1st Your Patients
2nd Your Department or Service
3rd Your Student

6. Preceptor Role
If the student does not meet reasonable expectations or fails a task, procedure, or concept fail them but
You need to explain what the failure point was and how to improve the procedure to achieve a better outcome
Remember these students are entry level they are not experts, You are there to advise, guide and mold them
You, the preceptor must maintain reasonable and realistic expectations of EMT students

7. Emergency Medical Technician
Must be 17 to participate in clinical experience
Must pass a background, drug screen, and
pre-entrance exam
Evening Adult Community Education
Two nights a week and one Saturday a month @ 18 weeks starting in August
Fire & Rescue Program: every other year has a high school student EMT class (Odd starting school years)

8. Emergency Medical Technician
Seven Divisions of Training:
D1. Prep – Roles – Legal – A&P – Vitals- Lifting and moving
D2. Airway maintenance, D3. Patient assessments,
D4. Medical Emergencies, D5. Trauma Emergencies,
D6.Special Populations, OB and special needs patients
D7.Ambulance Operations
Can provide basic medical and trauma assessments with care to include spinal immobilization, basic splinting, assisting patient to take prescribed medications; Nitro, Epi-pen and Albuterol MDI. They can give Insta-glucose and Activated charcoal. Provide blood glucose testing with finger stick. Apply and transmit EKG’s. Provide oxygen therapy, airway adjuncts. suction oral and nasal. Use Combi tubes, King airways, and BVM. CPR with use of AED.
They Can Not do: Endotracheal Intubation, IV starts, or give most medications, Do Not Read or Interpret cardiac monitor can not provide manual defibrillation or cardioversion.

9. EMT Student
Students enter clinical rotation before course is completed, they are observing and learning as they go.
These students enter rotations during the Patient assessment section of the course, Division 3, they have 4 more divisions to navigate.
EMT students have not yet made it to entry level proficiency, they need your guidance and expertise to put theory into practice.
Preceptors need to have realistic expectations of them. Preceptors need to understand EMT education is a foundational course for entering health care.
Not every student will become an EMT but every student deserves the chance to try once they have met criteria to enter clinical rotations.

10. Teaching Principles and Tools for Adult Learners
Get to know the student and their needs
Use experiences both yours and theirs
Tie theory to practice
Provide positive learning environment
Provide feedback positive if and when deserved, negative if and when deserved as long as you can also provide improvement suggestions
Assist the student to find resources and to look up answers, don’t spoon feed, it’s not fair to you or them

11. What the Adult Learner wants from you
Model the expected behavior of the profession
Have a positive attitude about your profession and the people you serve by remaining in EMS.
Provide environment of support, acceptance, and teamwork
Remember the fact that you were once a student. You did not come out of the womb all knowing, powerful, and perfect
Share your thoughts tactfully on how they are doing in your clinical setting

12. Preceptors know learning is:
A Process not an Event
A Change in Behavior due to Interactions with Environment of Experience
The Acquisitions of Habits, Knowledge and Attitudes
Both are a Product of and an Active Process with You!

13. Evaluation and Communication
Observe the students interactions, thinking abilities and treatment of patients, family, bystanders, and the receiving staff
Talk with the student about the patient contact, the overall interaction and treatment
Actually Read the Documentation and Grade appropriately for the situation
, Call, or Text- I expect Preceptors to make contact feedback both positive and negative of the student – never hesitate if questions, concerns or accolades to , call, or text
As a preceptor your responsibility is to improve the student ability through direct observations, interaction, quality feedback and guidance
Catch Problems as they are developing, head them off early before they become insurmountable - If you the preceptor only grumbles about it, without feedback to student or program, remediation process may be lost

14. Paperwork Clinical Books
Life line of the student but belongs to the program
Preceptors signature and grade validates the skills obtained and the hours completed by the student
Used as an evaluation and grading tool
Used as a documentation tool
Used as a communication and remediation tool
Is considered a legal document for the program, is subject to audit by the Medical Director, BEMS, NREMT, or any other agency that has the rights and request in writing.

18. Hours Log
Each shift the students hours in the hospital or on the ambulance will be logged by a preceptor
Date, location, number of hours, and preceptor signature are required.
If a preceptor signature is not present the hours will not count toward the minimum qualifications required.
A minimum of 8 hours in the hospital and 40 hours on an ambulance is required.

20. Clinical Skill Requirements
Certain minimum clinical skills must be documented by the student in the hospital or on the ambulance and will be evaluated by a preceptor
Please make sure the proper clinical skill is being documented with the date, proficiency, location, and preceptor signature are required.
If a preceptor signature is not present the hours will not count toward the minimum qualifications required.

23. Patient Assessments
Each patient contact will be documented by the student in the hospital or on the ambulance and will be evaluated by a preceptor
Patient refusals or patients the student does not interact with do not count toward the 10 minimum patient assessments required.
Space on the back of the patient contact report can be used for preceptor comments, please take advantage and share your insight with the student and the program.

25. Patient Contact Reports
Documentation of patient contact
The SOAP format is preferred however documentation that covers the required objectives of the encounter will be accepted
The evaluation is not a letter grade or %, it is more an evaluation of the current level of competence of the EMT student
Gives early insight to BLS strengths and weakness’s
Gives early insight to documentation strengths and weakness’s

27. Daily Professionalism
Each shift the student has in hospital or on the ambulance will be evaluated by a preceptor
It is a line by line item. Please evaluate each area.
Space on the back of the sheet for preceptor comments, please take advantage of sharing your insight with the student and the program.

29. Clinical Site Evaluation
Student will evaluate the clinical site once they have completed their clinical rotation
The information will be used to evaluate the clinical site to make sure the highest level of training is achieved
The evaluation will help the program and clinical site key in on trouble spots and correct them in a timely manner
This is a tool to help all parties involved both present and future to have the best experience possible

31. Event Reports/Complaint Reports
Your service or department has a process for complaints, follow your chain of command.
Any preceptor can contact the clinical coordinator or program director with concerns.
Remember in real life if it isn’t written down, it didn’t happen.
Rumors and hearsay have no validity, grumbling and gossip have not validity. If you have a problem with one of our students and wish us to act on it, you need to advocate enough for your profession to put the complaint or the concern in writing. Is the complaint personal or professional?
The same goes for students, if they have a problem with a preceptor they need to advocate enough for their education to put the complaint in writing.
They can be an effective tool for
Behavior, Communication, Remediation, Documentation, Reprimands, and/or student Removal from site or program.

32. Summary
Preceptors are the life blood of any EMS training program, Please remember we respect you and need you.
We expect the clinical site to assign students to appropriate experienced preceptors, when in doubt call me
The students need you to be active preceptors, counselors, teachers and motivators
Our expectations are for you to be our eyes and ears, to teach, evaluate, remediate, document
Please Communicate, through good communications all things are possible
Additional information and clinical documentation visit the web site
Thank you !!!
Bradley Schafer RTI/C FIRE & Rescue / EMT Director
/ office: ext.16198