The Middle Clinical Experience (MCE) places students in ambulatory and inpatient environments with an interprofessional team which includes residents and attending physicians, and also respiratory therapists, social workers, nutritionists, physical therapists, pharmacists, and other health care team members who will deliver portions of the curriculum.
The MCE consists of substantive ambulatory and inpatient rotations which stress strong integration of clinical work and the underlying necessary science required to care for patients and work within the health care system.
Middle Clinical Experience students will continue to have one Post-Clinic Group session to debrief and discuss the “Chief Complaint and Concern” of the week (chest pain or cyanosis, for instance), and will also meet in Rotational small groups to discuss “Topics of the Week” relevant to their specific rotation (such as vaginal bleeding, if they are doing ambulatory obstetrics and gynecology).
MCE rotations include physical therapy, emergency medicine, nutrition consultation service, ambulatory obstetrics and gynecology, adult wards, pharmacy service, pediatric wards, newborn nursery, respiratory therapy, social work, and palliative care.
Specific goals of the Middle Clinical Experience are:
- To expand skills in interviewing, physical examination, diagnostic reasoning, communication, and documentation in authentic care settings
- To begin to perform hypothesis-driven histories and physicals
- To gain further understanding of the necessary biological and social science knowledge required to understand and interpret the clinical data gathered in evaluation of common complaints
- To develop further understanding of the health care system and the patient experience
- To expand skills as a member of interprofessional teams
- To prepare for national licensing examinations
Two weeks during the Middle Clinical Experience on the inpatient wards might look like this:>
A week during the Middle Clinical Experience on the nutrition consultation service might look like this:
Questions or comments about the MCE can be directed to: SDC Questions: MCE