The Clinical Curriculum

The clinical year is comprised of ten (five-week) clerkships in internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, primary care, emergency medicine, surgery, geriatrics, critical care, and an elective. Clerkships are conducted off campus in various settings such as hospitals, private offices and clinics. The PA Program has sole responsibility for obtaining clinical sites and preceptors. At no time are students required to find clinical experiences. Students are required to report to the site as instructed by their preceptors. Some rotations will require students to report during weekends, holidays, overnight, or late into the evenings. Students return to campus for “call back” days, which are held periodically throughout the clinical year. These daylong sessions consist of oral presentations, end of rotation examinations, and special lectures related to clinical medicine. A separate handbook will be distributed during a clinical year orientation at the end of the didactic year detailing the specifics for the clinical year.