Background and objectives: There is a need to develop ambulatory care components within medical schools and, accordingly, a need to recruit community faculty. To assist in recruiting and retaining community faculty, this study addresses factors influencing physicians' decisions to serve as preceptors. The study also examines the relative value of incentives as rated by physicians in different primary care specialties.
Methods: We surveyed community physicians affiliated with a large, public teaching hospital. Physicians rated prior experiences training students in ambulatory settings, plans for serving as preceptors within the next year, and 7 incentives for serving as preceptors.
Results: A path analysis indicated that prior experiences and student influence on patient care affected future decisions to serve as preceptors. Analysis of the incentives for serving as preceptors indicated that physicians rated receiving continuing medical education (CME) credit the most favorably and financial compensation the least favorably. Overall, family physicians assigned the highest ratings to the incentives, and gynecologists gave the lowest ratings.
Conclusions: This study produced a better understanding of the factors influencing physicians' decisions to serve as preceptors. Physicians are more concerned about students' influence on patient care than they are about students' influence on patient billings. In addition, preceptors preferred receiving nonmonetary compensation, such as CME credit, rather than receiving financial compensation. In addition, this study suggests better ways to reward community physicians for their service as preceptors. Community faculty should not be viewed as a homogenous group. The results of this study suggest that community physicians be provided with choices regarding the incentives for and rewards associated with serving as preceptors.