Skip to main content

The Department of Allied Health Sciences hosted its annual Clinical Preceptor Appreciation Event at The Carolina Club on May 23, 2018.

The Department of Allied Health Sciences hosted its annual Clinical Preceptor Appreciation Event at The Carolina Club on May 23, 2018. During the event, with a record of 160 attendees, several health care professionals addressed preceptors, who facilitate student education.

Brenda Mitchell, PhD, CCC-SLP, welcomed participants and introduced Stephen Hooper, PhD, and association dean and chair of the department.

Hooper spoke about preceptors’ efforts with students who complete clinical rotations and how this work represents building blocks for the future of health care in North Carolina.

“What you are doing cannot be replaced. It is still the best method for developing our next generation of leaders,” Hooper said.

Hooper noted that 71 percent of DAHS graduates remain in North Carolina, resulting in a major contribution to the workforce infrastructure.

“We value our relationship with you,” he said. “We are indebted to your valuable contributions to our students.”

DAHS faculty Dana McCarty, PT, DPT, and Laurie Ray, PT, PhD, gave the keynote address titled “Implicit Bias: We all have it!” Ray oversees school-based physical therapy through a joint initiative with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. McCarty, the Division of Physical Therapy’s director of clinical education, hoped attendees would leave the presentation with a better understanding of implicit bias and better equipped to meet the challenges it represents.

This annual retreat serves to thank our clinical preceptors for their dedicated service to more than 400 allied health students in clinical settings across the state. The DAHS is housed in the UNC School of Medicine.

After the keynote address, each division separated into small groups to discuss topics pertinent to their area of health care.

For more information on how to become a preceptor, visit the division homepage.