Advanced Patient Care

The Advanced Patient Care (APC) clerkship is an 8-credit clinical experience during which the student acts at an advanced level. Some, but not all APC clerkships are sub-internships. APC clerkships may take place in an inpatient and/or outpatient setting. The clinical work may be primary or consultative. Students are required to take 8 weeks (16 credits) of APCs, 4 weeks (8 credits) of which need to be APC-Sub-internships.

Primary goals of your APC Clerkship:

  1. Take primary responsibility for aspects of patient care with appropriate supervision
  2. Refine core clinical skills
  3. Improve clinical reasoning and expand medical knowledge
  4. Work as an integral part of the care team
  5. Demonstrate independence and an ability to think critically, skills necessary to transition to residency

What to expect in your APC Clerkship:

  1. The student should work under the direct supervision of one or more attending physicians or senior residents in the manner of a first-year resident in that specialty.
  2. The rotation should allow the student to become responsible for the care of an appropriate number of patients, which usually will be more than the number of patients a third-year student would follow in that specialty.
  3. While sub-internships must be full-time four-week experiences, other APC rotations may be longitudinal as long as students complete the number of clinical hours required for an 8-credit clerkship.

The difference between an APC and an APC Sub-I

A subset of APC clerkships are sub-internships (APC-S), in which students function like interns of a particular specialty in preparation for residency.  Most sub-internships are primarily inpatient but may be in the outpatient setting. Sub-interns are part of a team or work with attending physicians in a primary rather than consultative role.

Additional Information about APCs

  • A list of Current APCs and Sub-Is can be found on the 3rd tab of the Explore & Focus Clerkship Catalog. Tabs are located at the bottom of the catalog.
  • The Explore & Focus Clerkship Catalog identifies SOM graduation requirements met by clerkship:
    • APCs are Required EF Advanced Patient Care Clerkships
    • APC-Ss are Required EF Subinternships
  • Some APCs may be permission-only.  Information on registering for permission-only clerkships can be found HERE.
  • Students registered for multiple Sub-internships will receive APC credit for the remaining clerkship once their APC-S requirement has been met.  If their APC requirement has also been met the course will count towards the student’s Clinical Elective requirement.
  • Students registered for multiple APCs will receive Clinical Elective credit for any remaining APC clerkship(s) once their APC requirement has been met.

The following video explains the Advanced Patient Care requirement and language you will encounter as you enter the scheduling phase.

     Topics Covered:

  • What is an Advanced Patient Care Clerkship (APC)?
  • The role of Elective Clerkships
  • How to find APC designated clerkships
  • Why are Sub-Internships important?
  • Choosing the right APC & APC Sub-I for you
  • Housing & Travel
  • Permission Only Clerkships