PAS-520: Internal Medicine Clinical Course

This is a required 6-week clinical practice experience for second-year PA students, which focuses on the role of the physician assistant student in varied inpatient internal medicine care responsibilities under the supervision of a clinical site preceptor or their designee(s). The student will gain experience and be able to integrate the knowledge and clinical skills learned during the didactic phase and apply them to develop clinical reasoning through evidence-based approaches to evaluate and manage internal medicine patients. As a member of the healthcare team, students will interact with patients and their families, order and interpret lab/diagnostic tests, evaluate and manage patients effectively under the supervision of their preceptor or their designee(s). Students will encounter a full range of experiences in the inpatient internal medicine setting, including preventative care, emergent, acute, and chronic diagnoses, and palliative/end-of-life care. The context of each patient's social, economic, cultural, and religious backgrounds will be considered. Students will have the opportunity to work as part of the primary care team, coordinating with specialists and interdisciplinary health professionals. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Didactic Year in PA Program. [ 6 credits ]