Students
Rotations are where you get better the fastest, if you ask the right questions.
Before you start
- Ask the site coordinator what to read and what to wear.
- Learn the department's most common presentations.
- Introduce yourself to the whole team, not only your preceptor.
On shift
- Present with a plan: what you think is going on, how sure you are, and what you'd do next.
- Say what you don't know. "I'm not sure, I'll look up X" lands better than a guess.
- Keep a rep log: procedures, presentations, and one thing you'd do differently.
Getting good feedback
Ask in the first week, not the last. "What's one thing I could do better by Friday?" gets a real answer. "How am I doing?" gets "fine."
Write down what you hear the same day. Act on one thing, then tell your preceptor what changed. That is the part they remember when they fill out your evaluation.
After the rotation
- Thank people for something specific they taught you.
- Ask for letters while the rotation is still fresh.
- Stay in touch. The PA who taught you in July might be the one who tells you about the job in March.
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