By: Anna Giorgi
Clinical rotations, which are hands-on, supervised practical experiences, are crucial to a comprehensive medical assistant education. They provide opportunities to apply classroom knowledge, improve patient care skills and develop a deeper understanding of the challenges that professional medical assistants encounter. Clinical rotations prepare you for a medical assistant career with professional experience and a real-world understanding of patient care in a healthcare setting. While they can be intimidating to start, clinical rotations help medical assistants bridge the transition from student to healthcare professional in a supportive and educational environment.
Why clinical rotations matter
Clinical rotations, which may be called externships, are a key aspect of education across many healthcare professions, including physicians, nurses and physical therapists. These experiences hold the same value for medical assistants as they do for all professionals.
Along with theory-based knowledge and skills-based practice, a clinical rotation is regarded as a key component of a well-rounded medical assistant education. Together, these three elements provide the foundational education you need to succeed in your field. They also provide the components necessary for medical assistant program accreditation.
Choose accreditation
Choosing an accredited medical assistant program is important because it ensures the program has been evaluated by a third-party organization to prove that it provides the knowledge and skills students need to succeed. To meet accreditation requirements, a medical assistant program must pass strict standards regarding curriculum. Medical assisting programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) must include a clinical rotation lasting a minimum of 160 clock hours.
Completing a clinical rotation and other requirements necessary to graduate from an accredited medical assistant program is also important for other reasons:
What to expect
While the length and location of your clinical rotation can vary by program, a typical clinical rotation requires your full-time attendance at the healthcare facility for eight hours every day, five days per week. An accredited program that requires a minimum of 160 clock hours of clinical rotation lasts four weeks. However, it is not uncommon for medical assistant programs to require completion of a clinical rotation lasting five weeks or longer, for a total of 200 clock hours or more.
The location of your clinical rotation is determined by your program and its institutional partners. If you attend an online medical assistant program, you likely will be permitted to complete your clinical rotation in an approved medical facility convenient to your location.
As a medical assistant student, you will work under the supervision of a preceptor during your clinical rotations. Preceptors are licensed healthcare professionals, such as registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians and other qualified healthcare providers. They demonstrate clinical skills and ensure you are competent in performing assigned tasks. Preceptors also evaluate your performance and offer constructive feedback.
During clinical rotations, you will gain hands-on experience by performing administrative and clinical tasks to learn the scope of a medical assistant’s responsibilities. These duties depend on the clinical rotation site and specialty area, such as family practice, pediatrics or internal medicine, in which you are assigned. The tasks you perform in clinical rotations will also vary according to your state’s scope of practice for medical assistants. Common tasks you may perform during clinical rotations include:
Clinical tasks:
Administrative tasks:
Opportunities to succeed
Clinical rotations are designed to provide the opportunities and support you need to succeed as a professional medical assistant. However, it’s up to you to make the most of these learning experiences. Take advantage of the following ways in which a clinical rotation can help you prepare for a medical assistant career:
Exposure to professional expectations
A clinical rotation gives you the chance to demonstrate professional behavior in the healthcare workplace. While you’ll be recognized as a student, you will be expected to behave and present yourself as a healthcare professional.
To practice professional demeanor in a clinical rotation:
Being professional throughout your clinical rotations can make an impact on those around you. This is important because the evaluations you receive from your clinical supervisors and coworkers will become part of your work history.
Development of effective preparation skills
Preparing for your clinical rotation ensures that you’re ready to give your best to patients and other members of the healthcare team. Participating in a clinical rotation helps you get in the habit of professional preparation. This includes reviewing key concepts, common conditions, medications and relevant procedures that may be involved in the type of facility in which you’re rotating.
Preparation also involves being equipped with practical supplies, such as a pen, paper and clipboard, to reduce the likelihood that you’ll be fumbling for these items when they are needed. Bring a watch and a small calculator for timing and calculations since the use of a cell phone in any capacity during a clinical rotation is typically discouraged. Document your observations and key takeaways to reinforce ways to be better prepared for your professional assignments in the future.
Confidence in asking questions
One of the best ways to participate in your learning during a clinical rotation is to listen attentively and ask insightful questions. Asking questions regarding the task at hand encourages deeper thinking and reinforces your understanding of key concepts. Ultimately, asking the right questions can lead to a better experience in your interactions with patients, physicians and supervisors. It also helps you become more comfortable and confident when it’s time to interact with these individuals as a professional medical assistant.
Clinical rotations help you practice asking the following types of questions that professional medical assistants routinely pose:
Practice in hands-on skills
While you can gain valuable insights by observing patient care, clinical rotations provide the hands-on experience you need to work confidently. Seek opportunities to actively participate in a variety of patient care scenarios. Hands-on practice helps you develop competencies in dealing with a wide range of patient demographics and medical conditions. It can also expose you to interactions with healthcare professionals across a variety of disciplines and specialties.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help or admit when you’re unsure about something. The collaborative environment of healthcare depends on teamwork for delivering comprehensive patient care. Clinical rotations prepare you to be comfortable working as a member of the healthcare team.
Hands-on participation gives you the chance to develop the skills needed to document accurately, manage multiple tasks and follow protocols while meeting needs for patient care. Participating in real-life situations can also help you internalize the legal and ethical practices required of a professional medical assistant.
Improvement through feedback
Constructive feedback from supervisors can provide valuable guidance as you develop your professional skills. Regard missteps as learning opportunities. Be honest about your shortcomings so you can identify the areas where you need improvement and get useful feedback in real-time.
Clinical rotations offer the chance to interact with a range of different patients and situations for which you may be unprepared. Seek feedback from your preceptor regarding ways to improve your skills so you can confidently address a broad range of issues as a professional medical assistant.
Access to professional networks
Clinical rotations provide a rich source of networking opportunities for medical assistant students new to the profession. Building connections with physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals during clinical rotations can help you establish a basis for long-term success in the medical field. These connections set the foundation for professional relationships that can be valuable in future career planning, employment searches and medical education.
Networking relationships can provide access to insider knowledge on professional opportunities after graduation. These connections can also be sources for strong letters of recommendation and increased opportunities for career mentorship.
Clinical rotations often serve as informal interview opportunities. Many medical assistant students are offered employment at the sites where they complete their clinical rotations.
You can maintain networking relationships established during clinical rotations with the following strategies:
