Clinical education typically takes place outside of the classroom and may involve clinical teaching, lectures, seminars, conferences, journal club, patient bedside teaching, and direct preceptor lectures and discussion of assigned reading. The typical PA program provides students with expected learning outcomes for each rotational experience and students are charged with self-directed learning of the topics, either through direct rotational experience, discussion with the preceptor, or learning based upon reading.

The typical PA student learns more than just medical knowledge. The clinical education experience should allow students to learn how health care is delivered in the United States and to gain an appreciation of the economic practice of medicine, how the health care team functions in a clinical setting, and the different roles that health care providers play. At the completion of the clinical rotation, students are typically given written, oral, and/or practical assessment methods in order to objectively assess the learning competencies that were gained during the clinical rotation.

PA educators are not just responsible for the education of their students, but also are involved with the education of the clinical preceptors so that these preceptors are informed of the level of training of the student, the appropriate role of the students, and how physician assistant students can be integrated into their practice. Sites need to be developed in order to train the ever increasing number of students who are training to become PAs and preceptors will also need to be kept informed of program activities so that they remain loyal to the PA program.

The best way to keep preceptors excited about training student PAs is to send them professional, mature, and motivated students. Students rotating at clinical practices tend to slow down patient movement at those practices but they may be able to add some value in the sense that they may be able to provide current standard of care practice knowledge and to provide patient education for patients in the practice. Even though the instructional technique is different during the clinical phase, curricula for the clinical phase needs to be organized and developed. Expected learning outcomes, reading lists, topic lists, and assessment methods will need to be developed.

Assessment methods for the clinical year may be in a different format than the assessment methods that were utilized during the didactic training because student learning involves more than just medical knowledge. Appropriate assessment methods may include practical, directed physical examinations, oral testing, performance of case discussions, and evaluation of student patient notes. Since students are attending a wide variety of clinical sites, the program must determine what the minimal learning outcomes are for every rotation. These learning outcomes would need to pertain to all clinical sites, regardless of the location of those sites.

Curriculum development for the clinical year is more challenging because the students are receiving different clinical experiences rather than being instructed together as an entire group. Programs will need to continue to motivate students to continue to be active learners in a less structured academic environment. Clinical education is valuable in preparing students for their professional role as clinicians. Students are given an opportunity to apply the knowledge that was gained during their didactic training in real-life situations under the careful supervision of their clinical preceptors. Students are often directly asked questions by their preceptors and need to be able to think on their feet without the benefit of looking through their notes or guessing on a multiple choice question. Students are much more dependent on self-directed learning and motivated students tend to outperform others in this particular setting. Clinical education is essential for the completion of PA education.