Designing an Effective Ambulatory Medicine Clerkship

Ambulatory care is central to modern healthcare, yet undergraduate clinical education often remains hospital-centered. In outpatient settings, brief visits, irregular workflows, and variable preceptor supervision can make learning uneven. Much guidance on outpatient teaching focuses on what individual preceptors can do during clinic sessions. This article instead describes practical strategies for clerkship directors and medical educators who organize learning across multiple sites and preceptors. The strategies address core design decisions, including site expectations, preceptor support, student roles, workflow, observation, feedback, continuity, and monitoring. Together, they provide an evidence-informed approach to building a feasible and educationally effective ambulatory care clerkship.