BACKGROUND: Preceptorship is defined as the interaction between the staff and a student. It was the only method of transmitting and providing respiratory therapy (RT) education. Preceptorship is the preferred method of educating both undergraduate and graduate students. Due to a staffing shortage, clinical instructors (Cis) are rarely allocated to RT students. Instead, they are placed with RT staff who act as a clinical preceptor with little to no formal education training. Therefore, the RT students may not receive sufficient clinical education. PURPOSE: This study aims to examine the availability and the method of preceptor training and evaluates the importance and the need for employee preceptor training programs in respiratory therapy departments in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving a convenience sample of RTs from Saudi Arabia was conducted through an electronic survey. RESULTS: Seventy-one of RTs (N=71) from five selected hospitals from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were surveyed in this study. The majority of respondents (74.6%) were male. (n=43; 60.6%) were staff, (n= 16; 22.5%) were supervisors, (n= 9; 12.7%) were clinical instructors and (n= 3; 4.2%) were managers. The majority of participants (87.3%) believed there is a need for a standardized preceptor-training program. However, only (n= 15; 21.1%) of them received their training before receiving the students. The majority of respondents (64.8%) pointed out that preceptors have been assigned to preceptorship tasks. CONCLUSION: This study was the first study to evaluate the needs and importance of standardized preceptor-training programs across RT departments in Saudi Arabia. The results of the study support the demand for a standardized preceptor-training program for respiratory therapy members.