Here are a few things to remember and/or consider when taking on the role and responsibility of an EMS preceptor:
You were there once too. Remember your basic needs when you were the “BM” (baby medic): Support, instruction, guidance and encouragement go a long way. Ridicule, embarrassment and condescension will set you and your trainee back many shifts.
Confidence builds competence, but arrogance is dangerous. I will take a student who has a great attitude and is eager to learn but struggling to put things together, and work to build them up. A trainee who comes to the lion’s den with a chip on their shoulder and maintains a cocky attitude, sadly has to be broken down (even if relatively knowledgeable). Given good leadership and straight-forward direction, building them back up will hopefully get them walking on a humble and safe path. Karma is a killer in this field and arrogance will bite you in the butt.
There are different types of stress. Do not equate the fear of being eaten alive by their preceptor with a broader fear of running calls and making decisions. Knowing that you are being watched and critiqued causes even the best of practitioners to get nervous and fumble. “If you can’t handle this, you can’t handle the field,” you may argue. Well, no, not exactly. Some people are amazing test takers but can’t pull it all together when it really matters, while others are forward thinkers and do an incredible job of combining their didactic knowledge with real life.
Show them you’ve got their backs. When a trainee is on the call, everyone on-scene wants a piece of the pie. Don’t let other responders treat them like a piñata. They are your responsibility to not only educate, but also protect from others looking to inflate their own egos.
Be discrete. If a correction needs to be made, make it—especially if it involves safety or patient care—but discuss it in private. Humiliating the student in front of the patient and other crewmembers is not only unprofessional, but it will destroy the patient’s confidence in your care, is horrible for your agency’s public image and will damage your trainees’ (and others’) respect for you.