Standardized Patient Program

Standardized Patient Program Overview

• A Standardized/Simulated Patient (SP) is an individual trained to portray an actual patient with a specific condition in a realistic, standardized, and repeatable way; where portrayal/presentation varies only with the learners’ performance.
• SPs teach and assess
  ○     History taking
  ○     Physical examination techniques
  ○     Communication skills
  ○     Interpersonal skills
• SPs are hourly employees. Work schedules vary with the training needs of our learners. There are periods during the semester when SPs work three to four times a week (normally in 3 to 4-hour sessions) and other times when work is unavailable.
• Realism is important for simulation; we must assign cases based on physical and personality characteristics. This means we often work cases where a specific age range, body habitus, and/or gender are required.
• An SP may not work a case with a scar that could interfere with the realism of the scenario being portrayed. For instance, an SP portraying a patient with appendicitis symptoms should not have a scar from a previous appendectomy.