Mentoring: From a Preceptor's Point of View

Sandy Gillespie RD,LD CDE

Diabetes Resource Center at Piedmont Hospital

                We’ve been fortunate to have some great dietetic interns at the Diabetes Resource Center (DRC) at Piedmont Hospital! The majority of our students come from Georgia State University, but we also get some from Southern Regional Medical Center and University Hospital in Augusta.  The cost/ benefit ratio works in our favor.

                The Costs - Time and Planning. My colleague, Sally Brozek, and I spend time planning a schedule of worthwhile observation and practice opportunities in the areas of what we offer to outpatients, inpatients and hospital nursing staff at our center. Whenever possible, we include community activities we might be working on. We spend time meeting with the interns, explaining what we do, answering questions, supervising and providing feedback. The DRC nurses also provide learning opportunities for the dietetic interns.

                The Benefits - The interns bring to us enthusiasm, fresh ideas, open minds and willing hands.

We appreciated the interns’ development of several helpful patient education handouts, some of which have appeared in this newsletter. The students are savvy with PowerPoint, Word, etc. and come up with creative ways to present messages.

                They help to teach classes and may offer new approaches. Their questions bring up points and ideas that can help improve our approach to diabetes education. But best of all, they*re fun to work with!

Mentoring: From a Student's Perspective

Michele Bahns, Dietetic Intern, Georgia State Univ.

As a dietetic intern I have had the opportunity to work in different settings including hospitals, schools and out-patient clinics.  At each location I am paired with a preceptor who trains me, assigns me tasks and guides me on the duties of the job. My preceptors have certain expectations of me and at the end of my rotation I am evaluated on my performance. This month I worked at a Wellstar diabetes education center in Kennestone. My preceptor gave me the opportunity to evaluate her role during my rotation at the clinic. I have selected what I think were important qualities of my preceptor, which made my experience at the diabetes center a positive one.

                Enthusiasm - I feel that enthusiasm  is one of the most important qualities in a mentor.   My preceptor’s enthusiasm helped me get inspired and to see that I really can make a difference in people’s lives. 

                Guidance and support - Accessibility is key.  Although my preceptor is extremely busy, she made time for me when I needed it.  She was always willing to answer questions and give me feedback on assignments.

                Challenge - I had no prior experience teaching classes. My preceptor knew that I was nervous about speaking before a group and teaching unfamiliar material, but she also knew that this would be a beneficial experience for me. So she challenged me and then provided me with immediate feedback. Her support and feedback helped me to gain confidence in an area in which I was insecure. 

                Role-model - I was able to observe my preceptor interacting with patients and teaching classes. I learned valuable skills for counseling and teaching diabetes patients that I will be able to use  in my future career in dietetics. 

                Overall, my experience at the diabetes clinic was extremely positive. I would like to thank Brooks Kent for all of her guidance and support during my month at Wellstar diabetes education center.