Clinical medicine is a field of medicine that deals primarily with the practice and study of medicine based on the direct examination of the patient. This is in contrast to other science fields that focus more on the theoretical and basics of medical science.
Clinical medicine practitioners conduct medical interviews on patients by assessing the patients':
- illness / complaint
- history of the complaint or illness(es),
- medical history including previous illnesses, hospitalisations, operations, and allergies
- medication history related to the current illness
- family history
- hobbies, occupation, and other current activities,
- social history such as birthplace, residence
The Bachelor of Science in Clinical Medicine course of Jomo Kenyatta University (JKUAT) will offer opportunities to Clinical Officers for further academic development and at the same time improve standards of health care services in the country.
Graduates of this clinical medicine program will be eligible to register as Clinical Officers in Kenya.
Clinical Officer (CO) is a gazetted officer who is qualified and licensed to practice medicine.
In Kenya a clinical officer operates under the jurisdiction of the Clinical Officers Council which is responsible for their training, registration and licensing and each must study clinical medicine and surgery for three or four years, graduate from an approved medical training institution, complete an internship year at a teaching hospital and register as a clinical officer then apply for a practicing license and complete a final three year period of clinical supervision under a senior clinical officer or a senior medical officer in order to qualify for a practicing certificate which allows one to provide general medical services to the public or to go into specialization.
Clinical Officers have continued to play vital roles as clinicians and managers not only in rural facilities but also in the running of district, provincial and national hospitals.
Training Clinical Officers at a higher level is one way of raising the standards of health care delivery to Kenyans since they provide about 80% of health services, especially in the rural areas.
