AAPA Category 1 CME Credit

Des Moines University is approved by the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit to eligible physician assistant preceptors. No credit is available for preceptoring osteopathic/allopathic medical students.

Physician assistants can earn a maximum of 10 hours of credit for clinical precepting during the calendar year. Physician assistant preceptors may be awarded 0.5 CME credits per two weeks of clinical teaching. Those precepting more than one student at a time may be awarded an addition 0.25 CME credits per student per two weeks. Preceptors must disclose any financial relationship with commercial interests to PA students.

There is no additional work required of preceptors.  At the end of the academic year, the DMU CME office will report the hours to AAPA and certificates will be emailed within six weeks of the reporting period. AAPA credit will not be awarded until the student evaluation is complete.

If you are interested in becoming a preceptor, please contact Laura Delaney, Director of Clinical Education at Laura.Delaney@dmu.edu.

Resources

Integrating the Student into a Busy Practice

• Time-Efficient Preceptors in Ambulatory Care Settings¹
  This case-based article gives the reader time-saving and educationally effective strategies for teaching students in the clinical setting. 

Evaluation and Teaching Strategies

• The One-Minute Preceptor^{2, 3}
  This resource outlines five “microskills” essential to clinical teaching. 
  • http://stfm.org/fmhub/fm2003/jun03/stevens.pdf 
  • http://www.paeaonline.org/index.php?ht=d/sp/i/80183/pid/80183 
• Feedback and Reflection: Teaching Methods for Clinical Settings4
  This article describes how to use these two clinical teaching methods effectively.
• Characteristics of Effective Clinical Teachers5
  This study looks at what residents and faculty consider to be the most effective characteristics of clinical preceptors.  

Providing Effective Feedback

• Getting Beyond “Good Job”: How to Give Effective Feedback6
  This article outlines why feedback is important, barriers to feedback, and how to give constructive feedback. 
• Feedback in Clinical Medical Education7
  This article provides effective guidelines for giving feedback. 
• Feedback: An Educational Model for Community-Based Teachers8
  This document provides insightful tips on giving feedback, describes differences between feedback and evaluation, addresses barriers to giving feedback, and gives the reader case-based practice scenarios. 

Managing Difficult Learning Situations

• Dealing with the Difficult Learning Situation: An Educational Monograph for Community-Based Teachers9
  These documents outline strategies for both preventing and managing difficult learning situations. 
• Providing Difficult Feedback: TIPS for the Problem Learner10
  This article provides an easy-to-use “TIPS” strategy to address difficult learners or learning situations. 

Developing Expectations

• Setting Expectations: An Educational Monograph for Community-Based Teachers¹¹
  This document outlines both a timeline and comprehensive ways to develop expectations for both the learner and teacher. 

Conflict Resolution

• Aspects of Conflict Resolution¹²
  This article discusses the causes of conflict, approaches to conflict resolution, and techniques/strategies to resolve conflict effectively. 

Bibliography

1. Usatine R, Tremoulet, PT, and Irby, D. Time-efficient preceptors in ambulatory care settings. Academic Medicine. June 2000;75:639-642. 
2. Langlois J, Thach S. Evaluation using the GRADE strategy. Family Medicine. March 2001;33(3):158-160.
3. Neher J, Stevens N. The one-minute preceptor: shaping the teaching conversation. Family Medicine. 2003;35(6):391-393.
4. Branch W, Paranjape A. Feedback and reflection: teaching methods for clinical settings. Academic Medicine. December 2002;77(12, Part 1):1185-1188, December 2002.
5. Buchel T, Edwards FD. Characteristics of effective clinical teachers. Family Medicine. January 2005;37(1):30-35.
6. Gigante J, Dell M, Sharkey A. Getting beyond "good job": how to give effective feedback. Pediatrics. 2011;127(2):205-207.
7. Ende J. Feedback in clinical medical education. JAMA. 1983;250(6):777-781. 
8. Southern New Hampshire Area Health Education Center. Feedback, An Educational Model for Community-Based Teachers
9. Southern New Hampshire Area Health Education Center. Dealing with the Difficult Learning Situation: An Educational Monograph for Community-Based Teachers 
10. Lucas J, Stallworth J. Providing difficult feedback: TIPS for the problem learner. Family Medicine. 2003;35(8):544-546.
11. Southern New Hampshire Area Health Education Center. Setting Expectations: An Educational Monograph for Community-Based Teachers 
12. Letendre P. Aspects of conflict resolution. TraQ Program of the British Columbia Provincial Blood Coordinating Office. 2002-2009.