| Course | PA 626 Clinical Clerkship: Elective I |
|---|---|
| Week | 3 |
| Paper type | Learning objectives |
| Length | About 440 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Chamberlain University |
| Program | Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PA 626 Week 3
Self-Set Objectives for the Nephrology Elective: Four Objectives on Two Lines Each, What Each Must Leave Behind, Scaled to About 190 Encounters, Written With Verbs That Can Fail and Ordered So That Each Builds on the Last
Student Name
Chamberlain University
PA 626: Clinical Clerkship: Elective I
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Self-Set Objectives for the Nephrology Elective: Four Objectives on Two Lines Each, What Each Must Leave Behind, Scaled to About 190 Encounters, Written With Verbs That Can Fail and Ordered So That Each Builds on the Last
Objective 1
Stage the chronic kidney disease of 20 consecutive return patients on the filtration and albuminuria grid before the attending does, and match the attending's stage in at least 18.
Leaves behind: a list of 20 patients with my stage and the attending's, kept in my log.
Objective 2
For 15 patients on any medication cleared by the kidney, state the dose adjustment needed at their current filtration rate before the visit, and be correct in at least 13 when checked against the clinic pharmacist.
Leaves behind: the 15 drug and dose pairs with the pharmacist's check.
Objective 3
Write the assessment and plan for 10 return visits that the attending signs with no more than one change each.
Leaves behind: the 10 signed notes and a count of changes.
Objective 4
Explain kidney replacement options to two patients in stage 4, with the attending present, using the clinic's decision aid, and record each patient's questions.
Leaves behind: two encounter notes with the questions listed.
Order matters here as well: I cannot explain options to a patient whose stage I have not confirmed or whose medicines I have not checked.
Scaled to the Caseload
About 190 encounters over four weeks makes 20 stagings and 15 dose checks possible without forcing the schedule. Stage 4 patients are fewer, about 2 a week, so objective 4 asks for only two.
If the clinic's census drops, the numbers in objectives 1 and 2 fall in proportion, and I will tell the preceptor in week 2 rather than at the end. A target set without knowing the caseload would either be met with no effort or missed with no lesson.
Verbs That Can Fail
Each verb can fail: stage, state, write, explain, with a number that can be missed. "Understand" or "learn about" would not fail.
Ordering by Dependence
Staging comes first because dosing depends on knowing the filtration rate; dosing comes before writing plans; explaining replacement options depends on knowing which patients are in stage 4. The staging grid follows the 2024 guideline (Stevens et al., 2024).
References
Stevens, P. E., Ahmed, S. B., Carrero, J. J., Foster, B., Francis, A., Hall, R. K., Herrington, W. G., Hill, G., Inker, L. A., Kazancıoğlu, R., Lamb, E., Lin, P., Madero, M., McIntyre, N., Morrow, K., Roberts, G., Sabanayagam, D., Schaeffner, E., Shlipak, M., . . . Levin, A. (2024). KDIGO 2024 clinical practice guideline for the evaluation and management of chronic kidney disease. Kidney International, 105(4S), S117-S314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kint.2023.10.018
What the PA 626 Week 3 assignment asks for
The third week asks for three or four objectives, rarely more, each on about two lines. Under each, say what it must leave behind, the evidence someone else could check. Scale each objective to the caseload you expect, so it is achievable without forcing the schedule. Use verbs that can fail: stage, state, write, explain, with a number attached, rather than understand or learn. Order the objectives so that later ones depend on earlier ones. If you need to change an objective once the block starts, say so in writing rather than quietly. Your supervisor's input is welcome but not required for the draft. Cite the source behind any standard an objective is measured against.
Inside the PA 626 Week 3 example
Objective 1 asks the student to stage 20 return patients before the attending and match in 18, leaving a list of both stages. Objective 2 asks for kidney dose adjustments on 15 medications, checked by the clinic pharmacist, with 13 correct. Objective 3 asks for 10 assessment and plans signed with no more than one change each. Objective 4 asks for two explanations of kidney replacement options to stage 4 patients with the decision aid. A caseload section scales the numbers to about 190 encounters and two stage 4 patients a week. A verb section explains why each can fail. A dependence section orders staging before dosing, dosing before plans and stage 4 identification before replacement talks, citing Stevens et al. (2024).
Where the points sit in the PA 626 Week 3 rubric
Objective drafts gain or lose most on whether each objective could fail. Verbs like understand, appreciate or gain exposure make an objective impossible to judge and cost heavily. Next in importance is evidence: an objective without a record someone else can check is only an intention. Faculty weigh scaling to the caseload, since an objective the clinic cannot supply is set up to fail. Keeping to three or four, ordered so that each builds on the last, shows planning. Any standard used to judge success, such as a staging system, should be cited in APA form.
Common PA 626 Week 3 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Objective drafts commonly list eight goals copied from a course syllabus, none with a number or a record. Another weakness is an objective the clinic cannot supply, such as performing procedures at an outpatient site. Some drafts also leave the order unexplained. If your elective is different, send the service and its expected caseload; we would draft three or four objectives with failable verbs and numbers, state what each leaves behind, scale them to the caseload and order them by dependence. If an objective needs changing mid-block, the change would be recorded in writing with a date. A preceptor can then sign off each objective at the end of the block in a few minutes.
Get a PA-626 Week 3 example written to your instructions
Send the objectives instructions, the template if your section supplies one, and a line about the service you are heading to, and a custom PA-626 Week 3 draft is written to them and returned inside 24-48h, free on the first request. The wording is yours to adjust before anything reaches your classroom.
More PA 626 papers and MPAS samples
- PA 626 Week 1: Elective Gap Post
- PA 626 Week 2: Elective Rationale Memo
- PA 626 Week 4: Specialty Vocabulary Brief
- PA 626 Week 5: Subspecialty Clinic Note
- PA 626 Week 6: Consult Question Brief
- PA 626 Week 7: Directed Reading Brief
- PA 626 Week 8: Unmet Objective Memo
- PA 624 Week 3: Medication Affordability Note
- PA 648 Week 3: Exam Retake Schedule
- PA 622 Week 3: Documentation Limits Brief
- PA 650 Week 3: Patient Population Definition
PA 626 Week 3 questions, answered
How specific is too specific?
The test is whether the service could plausibly produce it more than once. An objective built on a single named condition usually fails that, while the same objective written as a class of presentation the clinic sees most weeks survives. Too specific and too broad fail for the same reason: neither can be checked against what actually walked through the door.
Can I change an objective once the block starts?
Sections differ, and several allow a revision in writing with the reason attached, which scores better than a silent substitution discovered in the final memo. Where no revision is permitted, the closing assignment is where the mismatch gets explained. Either way the example is written so the wording can be lifted into a revision note without starting again.
Does the objectives draft need my supervisor's input?
Your classroom decides that, and where a section asks for it the conversation is yours to have on site. Nothing on this page is written as though that discussion happened, and no sample supplies a name, a signature or an agreement from anyone at your placement. What the example gives you is wording specific enough to take into that conversation and short enough to be answered in it.
Where can I find a free PA 626 Week 3 sample paper?
This page carries a complete PA 626 Week 3 objectives draft with four failable objectives for a nephrology elective.
Why does staging come first in the PA 626 Week 3 sample?
Kidney dosing depends on knowing the filtration rate, and the replacement-option talks depend on knowing which patients are in stage 4.