How to be Successful during Clinical Rotations – Rachel V.

Hey everyone, my name is Rachel and I am a second year PA student at Temple University. I only have 2 rotations left before I graduate (eek!), so today I’m going to share my strategies for success in your clinical rotations. Going from didactic to clinical year was an exciting transition, and I felt I had more free time to do activities I enjoyed without the stress of multiple tests a week. At the same time, rotations can be intimidating because you’re applying what you learned during your didactic year – but patients don’t read the textbook, clinical decision-making isn’t multiple choice, and there’s so much more to learn outside of what PA school teaches you. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t crush your rotations!

My first tip is on your first day (and the whole first week), introduce yourself to everyone you meet (doctors, PA, nurses, office staff – everyone!). Keep a positive attitude. Even if you’re dreading a rotation, are super nervous, or just aren’t interested in the field, you’re there, so smile, be friendly, and try to make the most of it.

Some preceptors use the “pimping” technique, which is a form of the Socratic method, where they ask you questions. If you remember the answer – great! Don’t be discouraged if you don’t; I have had many conversations with classmates about how we always blank on the easiest of topics. “I don’t know” or “I’m not sure, but I can look it up” is a perfectly acceptable answer (then be sure to look it up that night!). Most students don’t like being pimped as it can highlight our insecurities and foster imposter syndrome, but don’t berate yourself. Take it with a grain of salt, remember you are still learning, and know you will be a great PA one day!

Questions YOU Can Ask:

• What can I help with? A lot of times, I felt I didn’t know how I could be helpful. The best way is to just ask! Another tip is to ask students already on the rotation or who have done it in the past. Sometimes it takes longer to teach students how to do a task than for someone to do it themselves, so don’t take it personally when people say nothing.

• Can I try that? –> in relation to procedures! Some preceptors will push you to practice procedures, but many times you need to advocate for yourself and ask. If it’s your first time, you can ask to watch. Alternatively, ask to review the technique before you do it.You don’t need to spend money to be successful, but some things can be helpful and make your life easier. For rotations, I bought:

  • Compression socks (for the OR, long rounds, or when you don’t have a chair in the provider’s office)

  • A car phone mount (since I’m constantly driving to new hospitals and clinics)

    • Small pocket notebooks (to jot down important things I’ve learned, people’s names, phone numbers, etc.)

    • A plain folding clipboard (to have a writing surface for rounds or in the patient’s room. A plain one is a lot cheaper than the ones with medical info on them, and many students I’ve talked to said they don’t use the info on clipboard anyways)

    • Maxwell Quick Medical Reference pocket guide (it has lab values, ROS questions, physical exam components, etc! I got mine for free when the I joined the AAPA as a student)

    • A dedicated pair of rotation shoes (I got a sale pair of work out shoes online which worked for me, but some classmates invested in clog or healthcare-style shoes). Some classmates bought the Perfect H+P book, which has outlines for patient interviews, but I think you can get away without it. I did just invest in the EMRA antibiotic guide (a weak point for me) and some emergency medicine guides – you’ll have to follow my instagram to see how I like them!

Many programs use the PAEA End of Rotation (EOR) exam, meaning you have one test during the last week of your rotation. My advice for this is to start studying from the beginning and do a little each day, whether that’s practice questions, reading, podcasts or watching videos. It will help with your stress level to not cram the last week, and studying will help build your knowledge base for what you’re seeing in the clinic or hospital. There were many times where I serendipitously saw a condition or was pimped on a topic I had studied the night before, so don’t discount the value of consistency!

Finally, give yourself grace. You are still a student, and you are still learning. Rotations are humbling, but as long as you show up and do your best every day, you’re doing it right.

Thanks for reading, and good luck on your clinical rotations! Rachel Vogel @see.rach.pa see.rach.pa@gmail.com