Degree Plan

Clinical year courses

The clinical year consists of 8 six-week clinical preceptorship courses (PAS 790) for 5 credit hours each. The clinical preceptorship courses consist of the following required clinical rotations.

• Family medicine I*
• Family medicine II*
• General surgery
• Internal medicine
• Emergency medicine
• Obstetrics and gynecology/women’s health
• Pediatrics
• Directed/Elective*

*Within one of the Family Medicine or Directed/Elective clinical rotations, the students will experience a 3 week emphasis in behavioral and mental health.

Additionally, students will register for PAS 797 each semester throughout the clinical year for a total of 3 credits.

Students will also register for PAS 798, a 2-credit research project during the final semester of the clinical year. This project will consist of an in-depth study of a clinical problem of interest and culminate in a scholarly paper and formal presentation.

Rural Populations

Students should expect to complete one primary care preceptorship (family practice, internal medicine, or pediatrics) in a rural setting.

Distant Rotations

All students should anticipate that up to three of eight assigned clinical rotations will occur outside of the Springfield area, which will require living in "off-campus" housing. The sequence of this will not occur consecutively so students should not forfeit Springfield housing when assigned to areas outside of Springfield. Students will be responsible for securing housing in such areas and all costs associated with this housing, including travel-related expenses and meals. In some instances, housing resources (i.e., list of available housing options) will be provided by the program.

Commuting

All students will likely have several clinical rotations which will require commuting; this includes areas outside the Springfield metropolitan area. For safety reasons, students will typically not be asked to commute more than 60 miles (one way) or one hour to the city in which the clinic is located. Such sites are not considered to be a distant rotation. Please note that commuting distances are calculated from the Missouri State campus rather than the student’s home.

Clinical rotation assignments

Core clinical rotation assignments are determined by the program. Students are permitted to request preceptors, however the final decision for rotation assignments is determined by the Director of Clinical Education. It is important to note that a suggested training site does not guarantee placement and can take up to 4 months to coordinate. Students are not required to provide or solicit clinical sites or preceptors.