Clinical Year Curriculum, Principles of SCPEs

Clinical Year Curriculum

ARC-PA 6^th ed Standards B1.01, B1.02, B4.01

For the 2025 and subsequent cohorts, each SCPE is five (5) weeks in length. The curriculum includes the following areas:

Please refer to Blackboard for specific information for respective clinical courses.

Students should thoroughly review each syllabus and Blackboard for assignments, grading rubrics, and additional details before starting each SCPE.

• At the end of each SCPE is a mandatory callback day (CBD), during which ongoing clinical training/education, professional topics, and skills/OSCEs are scheduled as a vital part of ongoing PA student training. CBD activities focus on identified areas of weakness for the cohort (per PACKRAT), NCCPA Blueprint topics, professional development, and preparation for clinical practice. Callback days are conducted both in person and virtually throughout the clinical year. Students will also take End of Rotation exams and complete SCPE-specific OSCEs following callback days each SCPE or at the end of each semester. A CBD and exam schedule will be posted in Blackboard prior to the start of the clinical year.
• The Summative Evaluation, offered in Spring III, is a mandatory part of the program in compliance with the ARC-PA Standard B4.03 to demonstrate that the graduating PA students have successfully met programmatic learning outcomes and are prepared for entry-level clinical practice. See Part VII, Section 22, for more information.

Principles of SCPEs

ARC-PA 6^th ed Standards B3.03, B3.04, B3.06

For the clinical year, SCPEs must occur in the following settings:

• Outpatient
• Inpatient
• Emergency Department
• Operating Room

SCPEs are divided into two categories; core and non-core.
Mandatory Core SCPEs are completed in the following medical specialties:

• Family Medicine
• Internal Medicine
• Surgical Medicine
• Emergency Medicine
• Women’s Medicine
• Pediatric Medicine
• Behavioral Medicine

Non-core SCPEs include the following:

1. Underserved Medicine/Evidence-Based Medicine
   Medically Underserved Area (MUA) and/or Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) sites are utilized for the underserved SCPE. The Health Resources & Services Administration Data Warehouse website, maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, determines if a site meets one of the above designations. However, due to the wide variability in defining underserved populations, the DCE may also consider other sites on a case-by-case basis.
2. Elective
   The elective SCPE may be scheduled in core SCPE specialties or other medical sub-specialties if available. Students are asked to provide the clinical team with elective specialties of interest to help match student preferences with available elective sites and preceptors.

Placement and specialty may vary based on availability and the student’s ability to meet program competencies.

The Department reserves the right to assign and/or reassign SCPEs to ensure students meet the required SCPE learning outcomes necessary for graduation.