• Three to five years of experience,
• Good standing with the state board, and
• Specific malpractice insurance coverage limits.

• Inform the student about the nature of the practice, your chiropractic philosophy, and the chiropractic techniques and physiotherapy modalities you use; and
• Assess the intern’s interest in learning their style of practice management. A “straight” intern who does only upper cervical specific technique would not have a good experience in a “mixer” office.

3. Arrange for an observation day. If the intern is interested in your practice, require him to spend a full day observing the office and meet all staff members. The intern must feel the practice is a good match, and you and your staff members must feel the intern is appropriate for your office.

4. Assign a schedule. Interns are required by their colleges to complete a minimum number of hours in the internship, usually less than 40 per week. However, encourage your intern to be present every minute the clinic is open. This is her chance to get the private-practice experience she did not get in student clinic, and she should make the most of this opportunity.

However, if your intern chooses to complete only the required number of hours, assign her to a shift.

5. Set expectations. The intern should be expected to be on time and presentable every day — the same as the supervising doctor.

Ask him for suggestions and feedback, but make it clear that his role is to learn practice management under your direction, not to tell you how to manage the practice.

Make it clear to the intern that if expectations are not met, the internship will be terminated.

6. Teach. Your role is to teach and give the intern experience in all aspects of patient care to the degree it is allowed by the intern preceptorship program.

Ask the intern to shadow you for a few weeks and then give her hands-on experience with note-taking, physical and x-ray examination procedures, case management, and patient treatment.

Ask the office manager to introduce the intern to front-desk procedures, insurance billing and collections, inventory procedures, and payroll/personnel procedures.

The role of supervising doctor in the intern preceptor program is not for everyone. Training an intern in policies and procedures is time-consuming and often challenging. However, the profession will be indebted to those doctors who are willing to take on the responsibility of passing knowledge and experience to future generations.