Supervised Clinical Activity

Physician assistant students on clinical rotation will work under the direct supervision of their preceptor, who may be one of the following: physicians who are specialty board certified in their area of instruction, NCCPA certified PAs, or other licensed health care providers (e.g. NPs and CNMs) 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 their preceptor.

•     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 their assigned preceptor, a student must notify the DPAS of their alternate preceptor by the end of the first day. 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 in any other clinical setting during their specified rotation. For example, a student cannot pick up shifts in an ED (even one in which they have previously completed a rotation) while on their Pediatrics rotation. Students who do so place themselves and the Program at great medical-legal 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. Some facilities may not allow students to document in the patient’s medical record. 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 in the chart.

•     In all clinical activities, PA students should be guided by the principle of knowing one’s limitations. Students are encouraged to request preceptor advice, direction and assistance when feeling challenged with a patient case or patient presentation.