Practice of Clinical Medicine
Throughout the first 18 months of medical school, students participate in the Practice of Clinical Medicine (PCM) course, which teaches basic clinical skills such as professionalism, medical interviewing, physical diagnosis and clinical reasoning. Thanks to our alumni and community physicians, PCM gives preclinical students the opportunity to interact with patients, putting newly gained knowledge into practical use in clinical settings.
Designed to correlate with the basic science coursework, PCM consists of hands-on learning in small groups, simulated patient workshops and a community preceptorship.
Small groups of six to eight students, co-led by a faculty member and a fourth-year student, meet once or twice each month to learn and practice clinical skills in a safe environment with immediate feedback. On weeks opposite small group meetings, students perform an interview and physical exam on a standardized patient who will provide feedback, enhancing the students’ development of clinical skills.
Fourth-year students bring the perspective of their clerkship experience to the group, serving as role models and coaches. Group leaders share their broad repertoire of experiences and skills gained in their clinical work and provide detailed feedback after standardized patient and preceptor encounters. Throughout the course, students collaborate with all small group members, developing teamwork skills that are essential in practicing medicine.
The PCM course pairs each second-year student with a preceptor, either at VCU or in the community, for two afternoons a month. Many of the roughly 200 preceptors who participate in the course are alumni of the medical school or its residency programs During the fall semester of M2, students meet with their preceptors seven times to observe and practice professionalism, medical interviewing and physical examination. More than 200 preceptors at VCU and in the community serve as office-based teachers and role models. The geographic and cultural diversity of Richmond and its surrounding localities enables PCM to offer preceptorship experiences in urban, suburban and rural practices serving diverse patient populations.
Please contact Geovany Chavarria at edgar.chavarria@vcuhealth.org if you have a disability, documented through VCU Disability Support Services, that requires accommodation for your placement, or if you have a particular interest in any of the following:
- Rural medicine
- Emergency medicine
- Working with a hospitalist
- Working at night with a nocturnist
Students are randomly assigned to preceptorships, except for those officially enrolled in the International/Inner City/Rural Preceptorship (ICRP) and/or those who request that the above circumstances be considered. Preceptor sites are located within a 35-mile radius of the MCV Campus, with very few practices accessible by public transportation. Students are expected to make provisions for their own transportation.
PCM uses a multifaceted evaluation process to assess progress in professional attitudes and demeanor, interviewing and physical diagnosis skills, and clinical reasoning. Evaluation method include:
- Observed structured clinical examinations
- Small group leader and preceptor evaluations
- Evaluation of medical documentation
- Learning assessments
- Peer evaluations
- Professionalism evaluations
Our Team
Kimberly A. Pedram, M.D.
Course Director
Kimberly A. Pedram, M.D.
Course Director
Internal Medicine
Phone: (804) 828-6791
Alice Wong, M.D.
Course Director
Alice Wong, M.D.
Course Director
Internal Medicine
Phone: (804) 828-6791
Email: alice.wong@vcuhealth.org
Denny Henson
Education Administrator
Denny Henson
Education Administrator
Practice of Clinical
Phone: (804) 828-6670
Email: dennis.henson@vcuhealth.org
Geovany Chavarria
Education Specialist
Geovany Chavarria
Education Specialist
Practice of Clinical Medicine
Judy Gary, M.Ed.
Family Medicine Prec
Judy Gary, M.Ed.
Family Medicine Prec
Family Medicine
Phone: (804) 828-5685
Email: judy.gary@vcuhealth.org
Jackson Williams
Education Coordinator
Jackson Williams
Education Coordinator