Student Education

The purpose of Physicians CareConnection Healthcare Education is to enhance the medical education of future healthcare professionals by teaching social accountability.  Social Accountability is the obligation to direct education, research, and service activities toward addressing priority health concerns and making tangible positive effects on the health status in local communities.

PCC works with over 300 students annually with majors or interests in the healthcare profession, providing opportunities for medical education. Due to the volume of students and the changing healthcare environment, it is imperative that PCC explores an intentional approach to coordinate this activity.  There is a push in schools and universities to change medical education so that it includes learning about the importance of social determinants and their impact on the health status of a community.  PCC has designed a program that aligns PCC’s values of serving vulnerable populations with the goals of university and collegiate programming to give students early exposure and experience with serving and treating people who are medically underserved.

Healthcare Education Goals

After engaging with our programming, participants will be able to do one or more of the following:

  1. Name five health inequalities and describe their impact on health equity

  2. Identify five social factors that lead to poor healthcare outcomes

  3. Describe the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration

  4. Identify prevention and service learning activities for people with chronic disease

  5. Define key factors through data mining to evaluate program outcomes and explore opportunities for improvement

Healthcare Education Strategy

  • Shadowing: The opportunity to observe healthcare professionals and patient interactions

  • Patient Experience:  Pairing participants with a patient within the clinic and walking through the process with them

  • Process Engagement:  Application of knowledge to assist in care coordination and/or quality improvement projects

  • Cultural Inclusion:  Inclusion in the diverse culture of the PCC patients, volunteers, and staff, to build upon current knowledge and skill

  • Complimentary and Alternative Medicine:  Including CAMs into the clinic so further knowledge can be gained around the integration with conventional medicine


Benefits of PCC's Healthcare Education Program

  1. Synergies between community programs, education, and healthcare systems

  2. Data collection to develop or refine health/social interventions

  3. Horizontal and vertical health inequity improvement

  4. Helping patients access care by assisting patients in removing or overcoming barriers

  5. Continuing Education Unit (CEU) opportunities for healthcare professional

To get involved, contact Program Director Jennifer Drury at jdrury@pcchealth.org