Supervised Clinical Activity

• Physician assistant students on clinical rotation will work under the direct supervision of physicians who are specialty board certified in their area of instruction, NCCPA certified PA’s, or other licensed health care providers qualified in their area of instruction. Physician assistant students will not make a diagnosis or carry out any procedure or treatment plan without the explicit approval of physicians who are specialty board certified in their area of instruction, NCCPA certified PA’s, or other licensed health care providers qualified in their area of instruction.
• When given an order by a preceptor, a student has three possible courses of action:
  • Carry out the order as directed.
  • If there is disagreement with the order, discuss it with the physician and mutually agree on a course of action.
  • Inform the physician in a professional manner that as a student you do not feel qualified to safely carry out the order.
• At no time will a student change a preceptor’s order or carry out a course of action different from that directed by the preceptor.
• In the event of the temporary absence of his/her regular preceptor, students must notify the DPAS of their alternate preceptor. At no time will students work without having a supervising preceptor clearly identified. Likewise, at no time may students replace or fill in for absent clinical site employees.
• Students are not allowed to work extra rotation sites outside of their specified monthly rotation requirements, e.g., pulling extra hours in an ER when the student is scheduled for pediatrics that month. Students place themselves and the program at great risk in these instances because liability coverage will not be in effect.
• During supervised clinical practical experiences, students may not substitute for clinical or administrative staff.
• Students must have all charges and written orders countersigned by the supervising preceptor on the day of the patient encounter. Hospital/facility policy also governs countersignatures. It may be policy in some facilities to not allow students to write in the charts. In these cases, the student should write up the patient case in a separate document for the preceptor to critique but not include in the chart.
• No patient should be discharged from a clinical site by a PA student without the preceptor’s approval and signature documented on the chart.
• In all clinical activities, PA students should be guided by the principle of KNOWING ONE’S LIMITATIONS. Students are encouraged to seek and request preceptor advice, direction and assistance when feeling challenged with a patient case or patient presentation.