Earl Salser, M.D., is the director of medical student education for the departmentTo complete their medical school training, students in the UAB School of Medicine must train under practicing physicians in most specialties through third-year clerkships. The Department of Family and Community Medicine connects dozens of medical students with community preceptors each semester, giving medical students a chance to interact and build relationships with doctors in family medicine. Earl Salser, M.D., is the director of medical student education for the department and is a dedicated preceptor.
Salser has mentored students for more than 15 years and has encouraged many to find a deeper appreciation for patient-centered medicine. Salser, like other departmental preceptors, has built lasting relationships with some of his students. Jonathan Peters, M.D., is a graduate of UAB and a former student of the family medicine department. He is now a community preceptor for family medicine, mentoring and teaching students in his role as a physician at Cahaba Medical Center. Peters and Salser met when Peters was a first-year student in medical school, unsure of what specialty he would go into after completing school.
“Earl took a sincere interest in all of his students as people,” said Peters. “He wanted to encourage us beyond just medical training but through advice and empathizing with where we were in our medical journey.”
After working with Peters at a local clinic, Salser recommended that he participate in a pathway program over the summer to gain more experience in the family medicine specialty. The summer program instilled a love of family medicine and gave Peters a clear path forward as he continued his medical education.
“Earl’s recommendation helped steer my interest in medicine,” said Peters. “No one in my family was a doctor. I knew that the relational piece with patients was something that I wanted, and I was exposed to it that summer through family medicine.”
Salser says that it was natural for him to encourage students toward a career in family medicine. While each medical specialty has its benefits, Salser and others note that family medicine is an easy fit for those who enjoy creating and maintaining relationships with patients.
Before returning to UAB to work in the department and focus on medical student education, Salser treated hundreds of patients in private practice and taught students as a preceptor. Even before he created a career educating the next generation of physicians, he was contributing to their education in his clinic.
Jonathan Peters. M.D., is one of the department's community preceptors
“I enjoyed having students at my practice and found it intellectually challenging,” said Salser. “It made me want to be a better doctor so I could help them in their journey. When I made the switch to UAB, it seemed fitting that mentorship would be a big part of my new role. I enjoy being that connector for students to learn and find a path that they can succeed in.”
After working with Salser and other family medicine faculty members at UAB and in the community, Peters graduated and began a specialty training program in family medicine in Kansas. He went on to complete an international fellowship and work in private practice in Kansas serving rural areas. Once he returned to Birmingham, he began working with Cahaba Medical Care as one of their family medicine residency faculty members. Peters and Salser connected again as Peters began accepting UAB students in his clinic, just as he had been accepted years earlier.
“Working with students showed me that you don’t know what you don’t know until someone helps make the road a little smoother for you,” said Peters. “As a preceptor and mentor, you can turn around and do the same for someone just starting their medical journey. It is amazing to invest in others in this way and see the rewards that come out of it.”
Salser and Peters were both mentored throughout their family medicine journeys and have done the same for dozens of students. They view their contributions as a way to give back to a specialty that has given so much to them. Many of the department’s preceptors are community practice physicians who volunteer their time to train and encourage the next generation of family medicine practitioners. For family medicine, training new leaders is part of the fabric of their work and energizes these physicians as they see future medical leaders in their students.
“Teaching students revives my sense of purpose and reminds me why I got into medicine,” said Salser.
To learn more or apply to become a preceptor, visit the Department of Family and Community Medicine's preceptor webpage.
A condensed version of this story appears in the Department of Family and Community Medicine's "2020 Year in Review."