Clinical and Community Experiences

Innovative learning and compassionate care

The Clinical and Community Experiences (CCE) program exemplifies the mission of innovative learning and compassionate care at »¨¼¾´«Ã½ Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.  

From the first term of the first year, students are placed in clinical and community settings with physicians, other health care providers, and community service providers for shadowing experiences. They are given an opportunity to see the real world of medicine, to practice some of their clinical skills, to develop communication abilities, and to associate with members of their profession who will soon be their colleagues. In addition to developing clinical and psychosocial skills, the CCE program enhances the medical student’s awareness of the cultural, economic, and social issues that affect health care delivery and health behavior.

Overall goals

• Provide students with opportunities to shadow and interact with health care and social service providers in various health care and social service settings.
• Enhance medical students’ awareness of cultural, economic, and social issues that affect health care delivery and health behavior.
• Integrate knowledge acquired at a CCE site with that acquired in the other components of the curriculum.
• Reinforce the relevance of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes learned in various components of the curriculum.

Program objectives

During CCEs, students may meet the following objectives by observation or participation, depending upon the site and preceptor:

• Recognize the methods by which clinical faculty interact with patients and staff.
• Develop interviewing and psychosocial skills essential to the physician-patient relationship, such as:
  • Obtaining a history from the patient.
  • Interviewing patients regarding the chief complaint.
  • Providing appropriate patient education related to each patient.
• Develop basic physical assessment skills, such as:
  • Performing assessments of chief complaint.
  • Performing other physical assessment skills with the preceptor, as appropriate for each patient and student.
• Relate the knowledge acquired during a CCE to that acquired from other coursework by:
  • Asking the clinical faculty to suggest specific readings on a topic presented during the CCE.
  • Reflecting upon the experience.
• Deepen the student's understanding of the factors influencing social determinants of health in patient populations by:
  • Actively participating in programs or hands-on experiences focused on socio-economic conditions.
  • Engaging with communities to explore how education, income, housing, and access to resources impact health outcomes.
  • Experiencing and the resources available to community members in need.
  • Reflecting on real-world scenarios to recognize barriers to health equity and identify potential interventions.

Successful completion of CCE assignments is required for graduation from the Heritage College.

Resources

Students will refer to the CCE Resources found on their eMedley homepage for current information regarding policies and procedures, including, but not limited to:

• Scheduling
• CCE Site Information
• The Evaluation Process and Grading
• Attendance
• Transportation
• Dress Code