8.4 PSW Preceptor Professional Practice Expectations
PSW Preceptor Role
A PSW who partners with a PSW student to facilitate, support, and evaluate the students Professional Practice Placement. Incorporating the student’s learning goals, the Preceptor shares, provides resources, guides, and uses their knowledge, skills, and experience to enhance a PSW student’s practice, knowledge, and confidence in caring for clients.
Role Expectations
- Build inclusive, empowering, and student-centred relationships.
- Engage in conversations to provide support, guidance, and feedback.
- Provide safety and trust by demonstrating a non-judgmental and supportive approach.
- Be available, attentive, patient, committed, and present.
- Create a welcoming learning environment.
- Collaborate with the student to develop learning goals.
- Provide a responsible and ethical professional practice.
- Engage and provide assistance with the PSW student’s learning, experiences, communication, and skills.
- Review the Clinical Professional Practice Domains (Review Chapter 5.2) and Chapter 8.2 PSW Clinical Professional Practice Expectations and Requirements to ensure familiarity with student placement expectations.
- Review PSW Professional Practice Placement Evaluations and Forms.
- Communicate expectations, including the role of the PSW at the agency, in providing client care, documentation standards, and agency policies and procedures.
- Work in a respectful, inclusive, and collaborative partnership with the student and the Fanshawe College Clinical Advisor.
- Provide thoughtful, reflective, and constructive feedback.
- Demonstrate knowledge and expertise as a Personal Support Worker, including role in the setting and skills.
- Connect and be present with the PSW student frequently, and communicate expectations for the Consolidation Professional Practice Placement.
- Seek out professional development opportunities to enhance knowledge of the role of the PSW and to strengthen understanding of teaching and learning.
- Review this OER to gain an understanding of student Professional Practice Placement expectations and Domains of Practice required for graduation.
- Guide the student in completion of the Domains of Practice Competencies in the PSW Professional Practice Placement Curriculum.
- Be available to answer questions and teach/guide the PSW student in practice and skills.
- Review, evaluate, and complete all Consolidation Professional Practice requirements and Evaluations of Domains for Practice Competencies in partnership with the PSW Student’s Clinical Advisor.
- Provide an approachable and receptive demeanour to students’ learning needs, and provide continuous support.
- Be a positive role model displaying caring attributes, and portraying an enthusiastic and passionate display of the PSW profession.
- Follow proper procedures when ill in accordance with the agency policy, if there is an agency outbreak, and notify the student and/or unit of the student’s shift to arrange for an alternate Preceptor for the shift (if able).
For further exploration of the Clinical Preceptor Role, review the Canadian Medical Association’s writing on Mentorship in Health Care.
Preceptor Completion of HLTH 3055 Consolidation Professional Practice Evaluations
Guidance & Feedback
Reflective Practice
Collaborative Success Plan
A Collaborative Success Plan (CSP) (See Appendix D) may be initiated between the student and the Clinical Advisor (Fanshawe faculty) in collaboration with the PSW Preceptor.
The Clinical Advisor will meet with the student and the PSW Preceptor to discuss and provide feedback and collaboratively develop strategies for the student’s success in the course (A CSP is not meant to be punitive).
Examples of CSP initiation may include:
- Repeated absenteeism
- Late arrivals
- Unprofessional or safety concerns
- Concerns in any of the areas within the Domains of Practice Competencies
The Clinical Advisor will connect with the Program Coordinator to provide updates or if assistance is required.
Evaluation
A passing grade in HLTH 3055 Clinical Professional Practice Consolidation is dependent on student performance of Domains of Practice Competencies and:
- Demonstrating continuous placement attendance & reliability.
- Professional communication with the PSW Preceptor and the Clinical Advisor.
- Completion of Domains of Practice Competencies on the final evaluation forms and a satisfactory evaluation in each of the five Domains of Practice.
- Submission of timesheet- indicating completion of the correct number of hours, signed and dated by the PSW Preceptor and the student.
Students are expected to attend all placement shifts in order to be successful in the course. Absences may result in an unsatisfactory grade.
For further reading on the role of the Agency Preceptor, consult the resources on Mentorship in Health Care from the Canadian Medical Association.
Midterm Requirements
There will be ONE evaluation document for the HLTH 3055 Consolidation placement. At the mid-term evaluation, the student will start the documentation of Domains of Practice Competencies and begin to write down examples. The PSW Preceptor will review examples, add examples, and add comments if there are areas for improvement. If the student is unsatisfactory in any of the Domains of Practice at this time, the PSW Preceptor will inform the Clinical Advisor, and a CSP will be initiated. To ensure Midterm Success, the student will:
- Demonstrate all FIVE Domains of Practice Competencies – all are rated Satisfactory to be successful at this point of the placement.
- Complete/Document Domains of Practice Competencies.
- Obtain all PSW Preceptor signatures for schedule recording and mid-term evaluations.
- Meet with Faculty Advisor and discuss Mid-term student progress.
- Determine/discuss personal goals with the Faculty Advisor and PSW Preceptor.
End of Term Requirements
The student will complete all required 75 Consolidation Placement Hours. The student and Preceptor will use the same document that was started for the mid-term evaluation. The PSW student will add additional examples of Domains of Practice Competencies. The PSW Preceptor will review student examples, add examples, and circle Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory for EACH of the five Domains of Practice Competencies for the Final PSW student Evaluation.
To ensure a Satisfactory Placement, the student will:
- Demonstrate all FIVE Domains of Practice Competencies – all are rated Satisfactory to be successful in this course.
- Complete all 75 hrs of the Professional Practice Placement course.
Adapted with permission from the HLTH 3055 Clinical Professional Practice Curriculum. 2025. © Fanshawe College.
