BCHHC

December 2024

Erin Dorn Named 2024 Creighton University Preceptor of the Year

Congratulations to Physician Assistant Erin Dorn, who was recently named 2024 Preceptor of the Year by Creighton University’s Physician Assistant Program!

The annual award winner is student-nominated and selected from numerous nominations of deserving preceptors. Dorn’s nominators all noted her ability to make students feel capable and appreciated.

During the award presentation ceremony, Darwin Brown, Director of Clinical Education Physician Assistant Program at Creighton, shared comments from three of Dorn’s student PAs.

According to one student, “Erin was an absolute joy to work with. Every morning, she would walk into the office with a smile on her face and wish me a warm welcome and good morning. Throughout the day, she made me feel a part of Beatrice Community Hospital and Health Center’s outpatient Internal Medicine team, as I saw patients independently, discussed a plan and follow-up, and created the entire medical note in Epic. As a clinical year PA student, I’ve noticed that many preceptors are quick to correct students and point out where they went wrong and/or need improvement. Erin was one of the few to not only help me identify weaknesses in my assessment/plan but praise my work as well. This helped build confidence for me as a PA student and future provider and truly feel like I was making a difference in the work I did in clinic.”

Another student commented, “I can recall doing an annual physical in clinic with a middle-aged female with her spouse at her side. As I went through her past medical history, current medications, and her list of current concerns, the patient’s spouse interrupted me and said, ‘You remind me so much of Erin. She’s thorough, takes her time, and lets the patient’s voice be heard. Don’t ever change.’ I had never had a patient make such a comment like that before. As both a provider and a preceptor she took time to teach, but also get to know me as not only a student, but as a person. Providers like Erin are a gem and deserve to be recognized not only by a patient’s indirect complement, but also by a student who was positively impacted by her.”

A third student wrote, “Erin was a phenomenal preceptor. She was so welcoming and encouraging and helped me grow so much in this rotation by letting me work independently and teaching me whenever she could. She is so kind and knowledgeable and I'm so thankful to have been able to work with her and learn from her for the last month.”

Dorn, a native of Adams, Nebraska, graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s PA Program in 2014 and has been working in Beatrice since graduating. She started in Family Medicine and then transitioned to Internal Medicine at the hospital in 2017 where she has remained. She has been a preceptor for Creighton since 2021. Students spend four-week rotations with her in ambulatory Internal Medicine.

“The student's ability to put medicine into practice relies on a network of dedicated clinician-educators,” Brown said during her presentation. “Clinical preceptors give more than their knowledge – they offer their time, perspectives, counsel, and wisdom. These students wouldn't be here today without the real-life experience, opportunities, and lessons provided by preceptors.”