21. Introduction to Clerkship
The clinical year provides an opportunity for PA students to learn about the comprehensive diagnosis and management of patients in the clinical setting. Students will experience the key features of primary and specialty care, such as diagnosis and management, continuity of care, appreciation of the effect of family and social factors on health, preventive medicine, and the team approach to care, including involvement with community agencies.
The clinical experience should also provide opportunities for the students to improve their basic skills in provider-patient communication, history taking and physical examination, differential diagnosis formation, stepwise decision-making, managing patient care, and performing clinical procedures.
These clinical experiences provide the student with hands-on learning in a variety of hospitals and outpatient settings. Additionally, the student will return to campus several times during the clerkship year for assessment, case presentations, and didactic coursework.
The clinical preceptor’s primary responsibility is to provide a well-rounded clinical experience for the student with the focus on development of excellent clinical decision-making skills, leading to sound clinical judgment and competent practice.