Clinical Year
Clinical Year Curriculum 2010-2011
Click on the name of each course to read the course description.
Required Primary Care Clinical Rotations (five weeks each) (total of 42 credits)
Includes all of the following:
- Community Medicine (7 credits)
- Pediatrics (7 credits)
- Women's Health (7 credits)
- Inpatient Medicine (7 credits)
- Emergency Medicine (7 credits)
- General Surgery (7 credits)
- Geriatrics
- Cardiology
- Dermatology
- Nephrology
- Endocrinology
- Geriatrics
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Trauma Surgery
- Plastic Surgery
- Urology
- Neurosurgery
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Otolaryngology
- Psychiatry
Primary Care Preceptorship (10 weeks) (14 credits)
Additional Required Clinical Year Courses:
- Community Outreach Project I and II (2 credits each, total of 4 credits)
- Medical Errors (1 credits) - online course
- Pain Management (2 credits) - online course
- Health Care Systems (1 credit)
Note: Curriculum is subject to change.
Course Descriptions
PAST 509H Community Medicine (7 credits)
The Community Medicine rotation is an office-based clinical experience within a primary care practice (family medicine or general internal medicine). The goal of the course is to provide opportunities for students to assess and manage patients of all ages presenting with a variety of common acute and chronic illnesses. The emphasis of the rotation is on refining history and physical exam skills, formulating diagnostic and treatment plans, and developing skills in patient education.
PAST 509D Emergency Medicine (7 credits)
The Emergency Medicine rotation provides supervised clinical experiences that will enable students to observe and participate in a variety of urgent and emergent problems that present to the emergency room. Among other skills, students will learn appropriate triage protocols employed in the assessment of the patient who arrives in the emergency room, perform or assist in performing a variety of procedures commonly employed in the emergency room Students will learn to formulate a reasonable differential diagnoses, apply clinical reasoning to formulate an appropriate assessment and plan, and recognize and assist in the management of life-threatening emergencies.
PAST 509E General Surgery (7 credits)
The general surgery rotation will provide students with the opportunity to participate in the assessment and treatment of a variety of surgical problems that present to the general surgeon. Clinical experiences occur in both the ambulatory and hospital settings. Students will develop competence in preoperative and postoperative assessment and care of the surgical patient, sterile techniques, operating room protocols, surgical procedures and surgical closure including suturing, knot tying, and staples. In addition, students will learn the principles of wound management, pain management, and appropriate consultation and referral. Students will participate and assist in surgery and learn the role of the PA in the operating room. In addition, students are expected to evaluate and manage common problems that are referred to a general surgery practice, and provide appropriate screening, counseling and patient education.
PAST 509F Inpatient Medicine (7 credits)
The Inpatient Medicine Rotation is a hospital-based experience in a major medical center on a general internal medicine service. The goal of the course is to become familiar with the approach to the evaluation and management of acutely ill patients requiring hospitalization. Students will participate in the ongoing evaluation and assessment of hospitalized patients, work as a member of a medical team with attending physicians, residents, other students, nurses, and other ancillary staff, consult with specialists and other hospital personnel. In addition, students will become familiar with the types of services available in the inpatient setting for the treatment of hospitalized patients, and be involved in discharge planning.
PAST 509H Pediatrics (7 credits)
The general pediatric rotation office-based clinical experience within a general pediatrics office. Students will participate in the care of newborns, infants, children and adolescents. The emphasis of the course focuses on applying the principles of well child care and recognizing normal growth and development. In addition, students will learn to assess and manage children with acute and chronic medical problems and the appropriate use of consultation and referral.
PAST 509I Women's Health (7 credits)
The Women's Health Rotation emphasizes the assessment and management of routine gynecological and obstetrical events that occur throughout the female life cycle. In addition, students are expected to evaluate and manage common abnormal conditions, provide appropriate screening, counseling and patient education.
PAST 509K Primary Care Preceptorship (14 credits)
The 10-week preceptorship is an office-based clinical experience with a primary care focus that students complete towards the end of the clinical year. Students are assigned to a family medicine or internal medicine practice. The student will encounter patients of all ages and medical conditions, both acute and chronic diseases. The course allows students to experience a typical primary care practice, experiencing “on call”, urgent and emergent patient care , hospital rounds and admissions, nursing home visits, or other aspects of the community practice. A major goal of this rotation is to provide students the opportunity to see patients in follow-up and gain an appreciation for continuity of care.
PAST 519 Health Systems (1 credit)
This course is designed to expose the student to the many facets, delivery systems and ideas for delivering health care in the United States. It will study how the current health care system is organized, who pays for it, how access and care are sometimes restricted and how managed care works. The course will also explore the new health care legislation and how PAs will fit into the future of health care delivery. Health Policy Experts will be providing lectures and discussions which will be spread out over a two week period during the December callback.
PAST 553 Medical Errors (1 credit) - online and small group discussions/seminars
The goals of this course are to improve patient care by fostering open, informed discussion of medical errors and patient safety in order to reduce hazards to patients, and to better recognize and respond when medical errors occur. This course consists of an online component of assigned readings as well as small group discussion groups.
PAST 555 Pain Management (2 credits) - online
This online course is based on the Curriculum for Pain Education from the Oregon Pain Management Commission. There are nine modules and post-tests that include topics on: Introduction; Pain Assessment & Documentation & Communication; Treatment of Pain; Legal Issues and Managing Addiction Issues; Headaches; Management of Pain in Pediatrics; Management of Pain in Pregnancy; Management of Pain in Geriatrics; and Management of Cancer Pain.
