PCLT’s leadership for service model focuses on three main pillars: teamwork, risk-taking, and self-care, resting on a foundation of critical thinking.
Pre-Orientation In July, Year 1
The leadership curriculum begins as a 2 day pre-orientation late July prior to matriculation. Students participate in activities to promote risk-taking, to encourage commitments to self-care, and to develop team identity. During the pre-orientation PCLT students also learn basic team skills such as giving and receiving feedback.
- 2 days of bonding as a team, risking, visioning, self-care
Year 1
Leadership Skills: Running meetings, creating agendas, giving and receiving feedback, involving team members in planning and implementation
Leadership Knowledge: Foundations of population health, natural history of a team
In the first year, PCLT students take turns leading weekly team meetings. Students reflect on self-care commitments. They discuss leadership and team skills that they practice in their PCLT team and in other teams, such as small groups for anatomy or for team-based learning. They also take turns leading the planning and implementation of a monthly dinner discussion on a topic of their choosing. The first year PCLT team works together to select and complete both a fall and spring service project in the Durham community. Population health topics will be presented and discussed. In the spring, students will complete a self evaluation as well as peer evaluations of leadership skills. Students will receive their individual results for feedback purposes. There are also opportunities with guest speakers to understand primary care history and further leadership development.
Year 2
Leadership Skills: peer teaching, advocating for personal learning, team encouragement, self-reflection, service to an agency, serving an underserved health need
During the LIC in the second (clinical) year, PCLT students meet weekly in a mentored seminar (Primary Care Seminar) and practice teaching each other. The LIC affords some flexibility for students to meet their educational needs in individualized ways. The freedom afforded to PCLT students encourages students to take a leading role in their learning. Students function as a team and provide support and encouragement to help maximize the clinical experience. In the second year, the students are also involved in community engagement with a longitudinal community engagement experience, and a work plan that they come up with and is reviewed by their community partner and PCLT director.
- Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) - Opportunities to create Individualized Learning Activities
- Primary Care Seminar - Peer Teaching
- Community service - Once a week during LIC; individual choice
- Leading Change seminars - Weekly seminars on Population Health topics during the LIC
- Behavioral Health seminar - weekly seminars on Psychiatry topics and community engagement
Year 3
Leadership Skill: self-efficacy, population health research methods
Leadership Knowledge: Population Health research, stakeholder engagement
The main focus of third year is scholarly activity. PCLT students will complete a population health improvement research project, ideally with stakeholder engagement. There is also opportunity to earn a second degree, such as an MPH, MPP, or MBA, etc.
During the third year, select PCLT students serve as leadership coaches for first-year PCLT students in their weekly meetings. These third-year student coaches meet regularly with the PCLT director for guidance on how to coach the first-year team. In this process students learn important principles of group dynamics and team leadership. There is also opportunity to be an instructor in the Primary Care Seminar.
- Population Health Research - With Stakeholder engagement
- Options for second degree, like MPH, MPP, MBA
- Individual coaching - To enhance personal effectiveness
- Leadership elective opportunities -
- PCLT leadership coach for year 1 students
- Schweitzer Fellowship
- Chancellor’s Service Fellowship
- Primary Care Seminar instructor
- Other community volunteer activities
- Presentation of research
Year 4
PCLT Students apply for residency and have mentorship through that process with PCLT faculty. Students participate in sub internships in their chosen specialty. Students meet with junior students to discuss their research and community service experience.