See one, do one, teach one: our responsibility to precept

How did you learn dermatology? There are some great textbooks and online learning modules out there (check out the Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants Diplomate Fellowship program if you haven't already), but I bet most of us can attribute a significant portion of our education to the dermatologists and dermatology physician assistants (PAs) who precepted us or trained us in the field. If you spent time as a student doing a dermatology rotation, you were a recipient of the most valued education of all: education being given by an impassioned provider who loved what they did for a living and wanted to ignite that same spark of passion in the next generation of PAs. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. In high school, I thought about going into education, but I had a real love for medicine, especially the PA profession's ability to focus more time on patients. This in turn allowed me to still teach, albeit in a different way, with opportunities to educate patients/families, give guest lectures, and precept PA students. Now, as the interim program director for a PA program, I spend even more of my time teaching, as well as helping students find placements for elective rotation sites (which to my delight, many students are very interested in dermatology!). However, fewer dermatology PAs and dermatologists view precepting as an honored tradition of "paying it forward," and more are seeing it as an inconvenience. Why do you think this is? As a provider, I can certainly think of some barriers to precepting. Not everyone wants to be a full-time teacher. Explaining a full day's array of diseases and treatments to a student takes valuable time, which can lead to falling behind in your daily schedule. Your well-oiled procedures may slow down as you teach a PA student the art of suturing. In a medical landscape where time sometimes equals money, many PA schools have found it necessary to pay preceptors a stipend to place students for clinical rotations, including both elective and core rotations. We know that PAs are vital for access to dermatology care, and we are greatly suited to fill those access gaps that exist. PA programs are graduating more and more new providers, but in addition to didactic training, the art of medicine needs to be augmented by learning at the bedside. How can PAs fill these access gaps if they are not educated by experts in the field? How will PA students become interested in the field of dermatology if they are not exposed to dermatology topics and procedures? You are vital to continuing the education of new derm PAs by precepting and passing along your expertise. PA students are eager to learn our specialty, and I know first-hand that PA programs need more preceptors to keep the education cycle flowing. If you have never precepted, I encourage you to consider it! If you do not envision yourself being able to precept students continuously throughout the year, consider taking a few students per year. If we all do our part as teachers, the education of our students becomes richer with specialized knowledge. And who knows, maybe the student you are currently teaching will someday become your colleague because of your influence!