Clinical Year Details

Rotations

Required Rotations

Clinical students are required to complete rotations in the following specialties:

Elective/Selective Rotations

In addition to the required rotations, students must also compete the following rotations:

• Internal Medicine Selective – 1 month
• Other Electives – 2 months (each of the two electives are of the student’s choosing)

Clinical Day

At the end of each month’s rotation, clinical students will return to Gainesville for “Clinical Day” during which students attend a lecture on “Special Topics” that covers topics which embellish their academic knowledge and/or prepare the students for their transition into actual clinical practice as graduate certified PAs. The students also take an end-of-rotation exam in the specialty just completed. Final rotation grades are based on the students’ grade on this exam combined with the preceptor’s evaluation of the student for that rotation.

Clinical Sites and Preceptors

Rotations occur at a variety of clinical sites throughout the state and provide PA students with exposure to teaching hospitals, private practices, and rural health care settings. Students at each site are supervised by a preceptor who is responsible for carrying out specific supervisory and evaluative tasks as established by the PA Program. Students are not required to provide or solicit clinical sites or preceptors.

Preceptors are either active teaching physicians or private practice physicians who have offered supervised clinical experiences to PA students in a real-world setting of active practice. Courtesy faculty appointments may be extended to preceptors at their request.

The School’s Clinical Coordinator maintains close communication with the clinical sites in order to monitor students’ progress and troubleshoot problems which may occur.

AHEC Sites

Rotation at many clinical sites, particularly those in rural locations, are coordinated by staff of regional Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) who are familiar with the scope of practice of the various health care facilities in the area and who work closely with the Clinical Coordinator to arrange rotation schedules and attend to the needs of PA students during their rotations at AHEC sites.