When qualified Logan University Doctor of Chiropractic students reach their tenth and final trimester, they have a unique opportunity to gain real-world experience in a clinical environment of their choice through Logan’s Preceptorship Program.
“A preceptorship is the final chapter of a student’s time here,” said Jason Goodman, DC (’98), PhD, director of external clinical rotations. “Students get to spend their final trimester working in their dream scenario, whether that is at a pediatric clinic, a family practice or even in a hospital. The sky is truly the limit.”
For 15 weeks, 95 percent of Logan’s trimester 10 DC students are placed in fast-paced clinical atmospheres where they can experience 300 patient encounters per month or more.
“Giving our students the ability to work in a busy clinical environment is invaluable,” Dr. Goodman said. “In a short period of time, they get a massive amount of experience working on more complex cases than they may see in the Montgomery Health Center or the Mid Rivers Health Center.”
The practical experience Logan students receive helps them stand out in an increasingly competitive job market.
“The Preceptorship Program sets our students up for success by making them more employable upon graduation,” Dr. Goodman said. “It’s one of the many reasons why students pick Logan over other chiropractic colleges.”
To date, Logan students have completed preceptorships at more than 400 unique clinical sites around the world. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, some students worked in practice settings in countries such as Norway, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and China.
“COVID-19 has impacted our students’ ability to travel abroad for preceptorships; however, there are countless opportunities here in the U.S., and we are always looking to add to our list of pre-approved sites so we can ensure our students are able to gain experience in any and all types of environments,” Dr. Goodman said.
Doctors can add their sites to Logan’s pre-approved list at any time by completing an application obtained from Linda Kenny, Logan’s clinical rotation coordinator. To be accepted, doctors must have a minimum of three years of full-time practice experience and average at least three new patients and 80 patient visits per week, among other requirements. Approved preceptor doctors are appointed adjunct faculty members of Logan for one year and can receive benefits such as faculty discounts for postgraduate seminars offered on Logan’s campus.
In addition to preventing students from traveling abroad, COVID-19 forced some preceptor doctors to temporarily close their clinics.
“Several of our students were placed in clinics that had to shut down, but we were able to help them carry on the learning process by providing case vignettes they could complete online,” Dr. Goodman said. “Many preceptor doctors also continued to teach and mentor our students while their clinics were closed. Although COVID-19 required us to make adjustments, we adapted quickly. I’m proud to say we’ve been able to continue placing 95 percent of our trimester 10 DC students into preceptorships throughout this pandemic.”
Dr. Goodman hopes to continue adding more diverse, meaningful and engaging clinical opportunities to its already robust list of partnerships. He is currently expanding Logan’s program to Puerto Rico, which recently changed its laws to allow chiropractic preceptorships.
“An increasing number of countries, states and territories are recognizing the importance of permitting students to gain hands-on experience by adjusting patients,” Dr. Goodman said. “This is huge news for our 27 current students from Puerto Rico and our future students, who will now have the opportunity to complete their preceptorships in their hometowns.”
Logan’s Preceptorship Program has also expanded with the recent addition of numerous multidisciplinary sites, including hospitals and Veterans Affairs facilities.
“As the demand for chiropractic services continues to grow, it’s important for students to have greater exposure to collaborative health care settings where they can work alongside other types of professionals such as medical doctors, athletic trainers, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants and more,” Dr. Goodman said. “Chiropractors will play a bigger and bigger role in mainstream medical facilities, so we need to ensure our students are prepared to serve in those positions.”
Pictured above: Logan DC student Christen Saccucci (center) with Drs. Nicholas Kampfer (’14) and Emma Minx (’15) of Advanced Care Specialists in Racine, Wisconsin.