The One Minute Preceptor

The One-Minute Preceptor is one of the most widely used clinical teaching models because it is practical, efficient, and easy to incorporate into everyday patient care. Rather than requiring additional teaching time, it transforms routine case discussions into meaningful learning opportunities. The framework promotes active learner participation, develops clinical reasoning, provides targeted teaching, and incorporates immediate feedback—all within a few minutes.

The One-Minute Preceptor is particularly effective because it shifts the focus from telling learners the answer to helping them think like physicians. By asking learners to commit to a diagnosis or management plan, explain their reasoning, and reflect on feedback, clinical teachers can quickly identify learning needs and tailor their teaching to the individual learner. The five microskills include:

• Get a Commitment – Ask the learner what they think.

• Probe for Supporting Evidence – Explore their clinical reasoning.

• Teach a General Principle – Share one key learning point.

• Reinforce What Was Done Well – Identify specific strengths.

• Correct Errors and Coach Improvement – Offer one actionable suggestion for next time.

The One-Minute Preceptor is a simple way to make everyday clinical encounters more educational without slowing down patient care. With practice, it becomes a natural part of supervising learners in any clinical setting.