The Preceptor Program at Life West allows for senior interns to complete their clinical requirements for graduation under the supervision of a licensed practicing chiropractor, affording students incredible real-world experience prior to graduation.
Historically, students would graduate from chiropractic school having hit all the academic and clinical benchmarks, yet still not really know how or where they wanted to practice, who they wanted to serve, or really even where to start to figure it out! As such, they’d spend their first few months to years bouncing around figuring it out, before settling into something that worked for them.
With the Life West’s Preceptor Program, students can move through that “figuring it out” phase while in the safety of the school bubble – broadening and solidifying their foundation as chiropractors prior to graduation.
The Preceptorship Program, typically completed remotely, provides our students with the opportunity to experience additional practice settings and increase their exposure to various techniques and clinical practices.
As students enter their clinic experience at Life West, they’re encouraged to start arranging their Preceptorship experience. Ultimately, students are responsible for finding a Preceptor Doctor that fits their goals for the program and arranging the preceptorship experience with that DC.
To facilitate this process, students are provided with access to a searchable database of DCs who have expressed interest in working with Life West interns and have completed the Life West portion of the DC application.
Students are also more than welcome to work with DCs outside of this database, provided that the doctor completes the application process and is approved based on our internal and board-based eligibility requirements.
In this capstone-type experience, students complete their final quarters remotely, working under the mentorship of approved Preceptor Doctors to help make the transition from student to professional as seamless as possible.
Under this student-mentor relationship, our soon-to-be graduates gain invaluable exposure to your real-world experience. From techniques to the business of running a practice, we’re looking for DCs as eager to provide the guidance they wish they’d received early in their career as our students are to receive it.
Preceptorships are typically scheduled for a quarter at a time(3 months). Depending on a student’s progress towards completing their clinical requirements for graduation, Preceptorships often extend to multiple quarters.
DCs who wish to participate should start by registering for an account here and completing Life West’s internal application. At a high level, DCs must have been in practice for at least 5 years, must have a current license in good standing, and must carry professional liability insurance.
Once approved internally, DCs are given access to create a profile in our searchable database of Preceptor Doctors. This is typically where our students begin their search for a mentor.
Once a student designates a DC as their Preceptor Doctor, we complete the application process, which includes a nominal $100 application fee, submit all necessary documentation to the DC’s licensing board for approval, and formalize the Student/DC Preceptorship with an approved start date.
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