Standardized Patients

The Simulated/Standardized Patient (SP) is a person who has been carefully coached to simulate an actual patient so accurately that the simulation cannot be detected by a skilled clinician. In performing the simulation, the SP presents the gestalt of the patient being simulated; not just the history, but the body language, the physical findings, and the emotional and personality characteristics as well.

Standardized Patients are:

• Both actors and non-actors
• Trained to portray a patient in a simulated medical situation
• Able to consistently reproduce the history, physical findings, and emotions of the patient multiple times a day
• Able to multi-task by portraying the patient and remembering the encounter accurately in order to fill out a checklist
• Able to give constructive feedback, either written or orally

FAQ's

What type of people are you looking for?

• Individuals of all ages and physical types.
• People with strong communication skills and the ability to take direction
• People with flexible schedules
• People who are reliable and punctual

What do Standardized Patients (SPs) wear?

• For history only cases, SPs wear street clothes
• For history and physical exam cases, SPs wear hospital gowns with undergarments

What might a student do during a physical exam?

• Listen to your heart and lungs with a stethoscope
• Look in your eyes, ears, nose, and mouth
• Take your blood pressure
• Check your reflexes
• Do an abdominal exam
• No intimate exams are performed — no pelvic, breast, genital, or rectal exams

What is the time commitment?

• Training involves 1 to 4 sessions depending on the case
• Each training session is 3 hours
• All training and exams (with a few exceptions) take place Monday – Friday during regular work hours
• This is not full time employment — it's occasional, part-time work. Cases are based on age / gender / build.