Standardized Patients

A Standardized Patient (SP) is a person of any age who has been trained to portray an actual patient by accurately and consistently simulating an illness or other physical finding. SPs are typically members of the community who are interested in making a contribution to medical education and enjoy working with people. Unlike real patients, SPs are available anytime and are trained to provide constructive feedback to students about their communication skills. Medical school faculty provide feedback on clinical skills.

To provide students with learning opportunities, several types of Standardized Patients will be hired by the Clinical Learning Center. These include:

• Individuals with real health problems
  
• Individuals who have had specific health problems in the past
  
• Individuals trained to portray cases with history and physical exam findings of other people.
  

• Small group classes of 8-10 students led by faculty members who facilitate learning using the standardized patient case;
• Teaching and practice sessions in the Clinical Learning Center where students work in pairs to learn physical exam skills and practice history taking; and
• Evaluation sessions where students' clinical skills are assessed.

Standardized patients are paid $15 an hour for their time. SPs are selected based on the needs of the College of Medicine curriculum and the requirements of the case being portrayed. Training for a "case" portrayal takes 1-6 hours depending on the complexity and purpose of the session with students. Sessions with students, whether in small group classrooms, in the Clinical Learning Center, or for testing, typically last from 2 to 4 hours. The College of Medicine anticipates needing a minimum of 10-15 standardized patients for 2-4 hours each week.

Frequently Asked Questions about Standardized Patients

Apply to be a standardized patient