Clinical Year

Clinical Rotations

During the clinical year of the curriculum, students complete 12 one-month clinical rotations.

Courses

All UF School of PA Studies Clinical Year courses are delivered and attended in-person

Summer B & Fall ; Spring & Summer A

• Clinical Year Major Training Areas: Gainesville, Jacksonville

Typical Schedule and Number of Months

• Electives* — 3 months – 9 credits
• *Each student is required to complete a minimum of one “medical specialty” elective
  • PAS5201 Acute and Procedural Care — 1 month – 3 credits
    • Course Description: A clinical rotation that provides experience in the intensive care, emergency, and surgical care settings. Emphasis is placed on developing skills in critical triage, acute care management, and procedural decision-making. Through the experience, students will refine their knowledge, clinical and technical skills, while also emphasizing the importance of effective communication, critical thinking, and patient-centered care. Primary or consultative services that provide care in the following specialties will generally fulfill the requirements of this course: Emergency medicine, Intensive care unit (MICU, SICU, CCU, PICU, NICU, Neuro ICU), Interventional radiology, Plastic surgery, Orthopedics, Neurosurgery, Urology, Otolaryngology, Cardiothoracic, and other surgical specialties.
  • PAS5102 Adult Medical Specialty Care — 1 month – 3 credits
    • Course Description: A clinical rotation in which the student gains knowledge and clinical experience in areas that complement the Internal Medicine core rotation while working with an adult or geriatric population. Experiences include acute and chronic care, end-of-life care and long-term care issues. The emphasis is on history taking and physical examination specific to organ systems. Differential diagnosis, targeted plan-making, patient education and medical documentation strategies used in specialized care settings will be emphasized.  Primary or consultative services for adults that provide care in the following specialties will generally fulfill the requirements of this course. Specialties may include Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology, Neurology, Nephrology, Gastroenterology, Rheumatology, Pulmonary, Endocrinology, Cardiology, Infectious diseases, Geriatrics, Clinical Dermatology, Student Health, Primary Care, and Rehabilitation Medicine.
  • PAS5302 Pediatric Medical Specialty Care — 1 month – 3 credit
    • Course Description: A clinical rotation in which the student gains knowledge and clinical experience in areas that complement the Pediatric core rotation. Experiences include acute and chronic care. The emphasis is on: history taking, physical examination, differential diagnosis, plan-making, development, patient and parent/guardian education that is specific to organ systems. Communication and documentation strategies used in specialized care settings will be emphasized.  Primary or consultative services for infants, children and adolescents that provide care in the following specialties will generally fulfill the requirements of this course. Specialties may include Hematology and Oncology, Neurology, Nephrology, Gastroenterology, Rheumatology, Pulmonary, Endocrinology, Cardiology, Infectious diseases, Genetics and Metabolism. 
• Core Courses – 9 months – 27 credits
  • PAS5600 Emergency Medicine — 1 month – 3 credits
    • Course Description: The Emergency Medicine Rotation provides the student with access to patients of all ages in an Emergency Department (ED) setting.  This clinical rotation introduces students to the busy emergency rooms to learn and practice principles of triage and acute care medicine. Students have the opportunity to evaluate patients and formulate effective testing and treatment strategies. Recognition of occult emergencies is an essential skill that will be taught in this course. Active participation in patient care and procedural skills are emphasized.
  • PAS5701L Critical Care Medicine — 1 month – 3 credits
    • Course Description: This clinical rotation introduces the student to principles and practices of providing medical care in the critical care setting.  Emphasis is provided in developing skills in differential diagnosis, specialized management, lab interpretation, and advanced clinical procedures. Students will be involved with the evaluation and management of critically ill patients, utilizing mechanical ventilators, interpreting hemodynamic data in the acute care setting and appropriate use of subspecialty consultation in the critical care setting.
  • PAS5100 Internal Medicine — 1 month – 3 credits
    • Course Description: The Internal Medicine rotation provides the student with access to adult patients in an inpatient or outpatient setting. The student applies basic medical knowledge while working with an adult or geriatric population. The student is exposed to the common medical problems of adult medicine to include acute chronic care, end-of-life, and long-term care issues. The emphasis is on the history and physical examination as well as the processes required in the work-up and management of the patient.
  • PAS5510 Women’s Health — 1 month – 3 credits
    • Course Description: The Women’s Health rotation provides the student with clinical experience in gynecologic and reproductive women’s healthcare. The student will gain patient exposure by addressing reproductive physiology, procedural gynecology, pre-natal care and cancer screening. They will practice counseling in relation to family planning. 
  • PAS5300 Pediatrics — 1 month – 3 credits
    • Course Description: The Pediatric Medicine Rotation provides the student with the opportunity to assess medical problems that require management in infants, children and adolescents.  On this rotation students will be expected to gain practical clinical experience managing common childhood illnesses and health maintenance.  Emphasis on history taking, diagnosis and communication and initiation of management plan will be undertaken. Students learn to recognize the influence of family dynamics on the course of children’s development, illness and well-being.
  • PAS5400 Primary Care 1 — 1 month – 3 credits
    • Course Description: The Primary Care rotations provide the student with access to patients of all ages in an outpatient setting, with supervision by practitioners who specialize in Primary Care. The Instructional Objectives below pertain to the evaluation and management of ambulatory patients. Testing and evaluation for this rotation will be based on the knowledge, skills and abilities related to ambulatory practice.
  • PAS5401L Primary Care 2 — 1 month – 3 credits
    • Course Description: The Primary Care rotations provide the student with access to patients of all ages in an outpatient setting, with supervision by practitioners who specialize in Primary Care. The Instructional Objectives below pertain to the evaluation and management of ambulatory patients. Testing and evaluation for this rotation will be based on the knowledge, skills and abilities related to ambulatory practice.
  • PAS5125 Psychiatry — 1 month – 3 credits
    • Course Description: The Psychiatry rotation provides the student with clinical experience in the varied presentations of mental illness.  This clinical rotation gives the student the opportunity to participate in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment planning for psychiatric patients. Under close supervision by the faculty and staff, the student gains experience in interviewing, diagnosing, and managing the psychiatric patient.
  • PAS5200 General Surgery — 1 month – 3 credits
    • Course Description: The General Surgery clinical rotation provides the student with experience and instruction in adult periprocedural care in the inpatient setting and may also include consultation in the outpatient setting. Evaluation and management of patients seen on a surgical service is to include pre-, intra-, and post-operative settings. Evaluation for this clerkship will be based on the knowledge, clinical skill and technical abilities related to general surgery gained on this clinical rotation. 
• PAS5930 Special Topics — 1 credit per semester – 4 credit hours
  • Course Description: Special Topics is a one credit course that students are registered for each semester of the clinical year. The course has many components that further develop skills, professionalism and competency as a PA. Special Topics is an integral part of every end-of-rotation clinical day. Class participation will frequently be involved. Capstone Project is a component of PAS 5930 Special Topics. In this course students will complete a graduate-level project during which they will compose a relevant clinical question, perform a review and critically appraise published articles in order to formulate an evidence-based response. Under mentorship of a faculty advisor, students will either complete an evidenced-based literature review. The presentation of final materials will be in the format of both a written manuscript and digital poster. Students are required to present their posters at the Annual PA Research Poster Day in January. Students have the option to submit their posters for presentation at the College of Medicine’s Research Poster Session in February. Manuscripts will be prepared according to JAAPA writing and publication guidelines. Assigned faculty mentors will serve as coauthors. Students are not permitted to use artificial intelligence in any form to assist in the writing of the capstone project. This includes but is not limited to ChatGPT, Bard, Jasper, or Perplexity. All work should be original to the authors. Students may use citation management software for references.

TOTAL CLINICAL YEAR SEMESTER HOURS = 40

No advanced placement or advanced standing is granted, nor is transfer credit or credit for experiential learning accepted in lieu of PA courses.

PA classes are open to enrolled PA students only.

Master’s Capstone Project

Completion of a Master’s capstone project is required of UF PA students in their clinical year. Students work in small groups to answer a clinical question relevant to medical practice. Under the mentorship of a faculty advisor students develop their ideas with the goal to implement original research or develop an in-depth systematic review of the existing literature. Student must demonstrate skills in scientific writing of an abstract and manuscript suitable for publication. The capstone project is introduced in conjunction with the Evidence-Based Medicine (PAS 5013) course at the end of the first year and concludes with presentations at the UF School of PA Studies Poster Session early in the spring semester. Additionally, students are encouraged to submit their posters to the UF College of Medicine’s Annual Research Day.