Recruiting and retaining volunteer community preceptors

As more medical schools are providing primary care experiences for their students, competition among schools to recruit and retain volunteer community preceptors is increasing dramatically. The University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago competes for preceptors with six other major medical schools in the metropolitan area. Its Longitudinal Primary Care (LPC) Program is one of the largest programs of its kind in the country, with 320 preceptors at approximately 250 sites in metropolitan Chicago. By studying the literature, carefully reviewing their pilot program, and surveying preceptors about their motivations and needs, the authors have created a successful model for increasing and maintaining a pool of preceptors. This paper describes the development of this model and the specific methods used to recruit new preceptors (e.g., using a recruitment brochure), and to retain and reward preceptors (e.g., offering adjunct faculty positions, faculty development programs, etc.).