Standardizing Preceptorships in Pima County? It Could Happen! 

Workforce solutions simply cannot happen without leading with a collective impact lens. It’s no accident that your Tucson Metro Chamber values collaboration. We are the connectors between businesses, community-based organizations, educational institutions, nonprofits, and government agencies. We recognize that without a collective agenda, we can’t make a significant move towards building a prosperous economy here in Pima County. 

A great example of this is what has been going on with our Healthcare & Health Science Workforce Collaborative. 

We began 2024 with a request by a representative from one of our major hospitals: “Can the Tucson Chamber convene the major local hospitals to address the challenge of preceptorships?” A la Mission Impossible, we accepted the challenge! And after the first three meetings in 2024, we’ve progressed from challenge to dialogue to ideas! On October 22, 2024, we met for the fourth time, but this time, at the request of the reps from the hospitals, we invited healthcare educational institutions, including Pima Community College (PCC), University of Arizona (UA), and Arizona State University (ASU). A fourth institution, Carrington College, came on their own! They came to convene and discuss the potential of developing and standardizing a preceptorship program.  

Following welcome and introductions, Don Martin, Dean of Health Professions at PCC shared information about the HRSA grant, which included the concept of creating a six-module preceptorship program. We also learned that there have been initial discussions regarding standardizing preceptorships between PCC and both the UA and ASU. Everyone expressed strong support for increased collaboration in this effort. It’s important to note that one significant challenge in recruiting preceptors stems from Arizona's lack of required annual Continuing Education Units (CEUs) – meaning there is not an external incentive to complete CEU’s as part of their continued professional development. To address this, we talked about improving the incentives, not just monetary ones, to express the importance of strong preceptors in providing quality care. 

But we don’t need to reinvent the wheel! Allan Paz, Assistant Dean of Nursing at Carrington College noted the existence of various models including within the State of Washington, where he moved from. And Judy Karshmer, Dean at ASU Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, added that AZ Senator Mark Kelly supported a bill that included dollars towards quality preceptorships. 
 
What Does This All Mean?  

It means that the collaborative reached a unanimous decision that a structured and standardized preceptorship approach is essential to preparing students collectively and help hospitals work collaboratively to train them. Additionally, the importance of retaining them after being hired means that there is a strong desire to use a value-centered and cultural approach. 

What’s Next? 

The group will research current models, best practices, and review Senator Mark Kelly's proposed bill. A member of the collaborative volunteered to obtain the data collection that has already happened. They will also gather preceptorship policies from their own local hospitals and educational institutions. And they plan to collect feedback from both current preceptors and healthcare staff who haven't yet become preceptors, using both online and in-person formats. 

As you can see, the Healthcare & Health Science Workforce Collaborative has been well… working! When we reconnect in 2025, we will have made significant progress in creating a standardized preceptorship program that benefits all of our local hospitals and new graduates!  

And your Tucson Metro Chamber will continue to convene the right folks in our community to make real changes to ensure that our businesses thrive, and our Pima County community prospers. 

Keep checking the IMPACT blog for the latest in Workforce Advocacy or reach out to me at fvelasquezjr@tucsonchamber.org at your Tucson Metro Chamber!