Clinical Feedback Made Easier: Strategies for Supportive Student–Preceptor Communication

By Sarah McAlexander, AuD

The fall semester is underway, bringing new clinical placements, students, and preceptors. Building a positive working relationship with someone new can be challenging and may bring up emotions, anxiety, or stress. Communicating early and often can help prevent potential problems, but difficult conversations will occasionally be necessary.

Receiving frequent feedback from preceptors can be challenging for many students. At times, students may receive conflicting feedback based on different supervisors’ preferences, feel that feedback is overly critical, or feel that they are not receiving enough feedback to be successful in the clinic. Both students and preceptors will find that learning to navigate tough conversations with grace, patience, and an open mind is an important part of creating a positive learning environment.

Tips for Preceptors

Here are a few tips for preceptors on providing effective feedback and navigating difficult conversations with students:

1. Set clear goals at the beginning of the clinical rotation and revisit them frequently during feedback sessions. Working together to establish goals ensures that both the student and preceptor are on the same page about the focus of the rotation. Clear goals can help narrow the scope of feedback and provide a roadmap for what the student should work on inside and outside the clinic to make the most of their time with patients.
2. Find a quiet, private space to provide feedback and discuss progress. Whenever possible, avoid discussing student progress in areas where patients, other students, or supervisors can hear. Providing feedback privately can help prevent embarrassment or anxiety and foster trust between the student and preceptor.
3. Ask students to reflect on their own progress following appointments. Encourage students to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. This approach helps students build independence and self-awareness in the clinic and prepares them for continued growth throughout their careers.
4. Focus on behaviors that can change rather than on the person. Discuss specific actions and behaviors instead of personality traits. This helps students understand what they can do differently in the future and reduces the likelihood that feedback will feel like a personal attack.
5. Provide positive feedback and encouragement whenever possible. Students need to understand what they are doing well, too. Recognizing progress and strengths can help motivate students to keep learning, especially when clinical experiences become challenging.
6. Be open to feedback about your own approach. Every student is different and may benefit from different supervision and communication techniques. Remaining open to feedback about how you can better support a student’s education can help students feel comfortable advocating for what they need.

Preceptors who want to learn more about techniques for supervising students can also consider completing the American Board of Audiology’s Audiology Preceptor certificate program. The Certificate Program-Audiology Preceptor (CH-AP) includes four self-study modules designed to help develop trained audiology preceptors.

Tips for Students

Students also play an important role in creating a positive clinical learning environment. Here are a few tips for receiving feedback and advocating for yourself:

1. Don’t take feedback personally. Most preceptors are there because they want you to succeed. Constructive feedback is intended to help you grow as a student and clinician, not to put you down as a person.
2. Reflect on your successes and areas for growth at the end of each day. Write down advice, goals, questions, or other thoughts that you want to revisit later. Taking time to reflect can help you recognize your progress and identify areas where you need additional support.
3. Ask questions. If you are unsure how to do something or why a preceptor approached a patient in a particular way, ask! Asking questions is one of the best ways to learn and stay engaged during clinical appointments.
4. Advocate for what you need. You may need additional time to practice certain skills, more opportunities to work with particular types of patients, or you may need to receive feedback in a different way or at a different time. You may also find that you are struggling to keep up with clinic responsibilities. Whatever the challenge, communicate your needs with your preceptor so that you can work together toward a solution.

When Additional Support Is Needed

For both students and preceptors, situations may sometimes escalate to a point where you no longer feel comfortable navigating them on your own. In these cases, reach out to your university or the student’s university for additional support. Universities are there to help ensure that both students and preceptors have the resources and support they need to succeed during external clinical rotations. Navigating student-preceptor relationships can be challenging, but staying open-minded, flexible, and patient can go a long way toward creating a positive clinical experience for everyone. Here’s to a successful semester of learning, growth, and collaboration!