A vital part of the Simulation Center, standardized patients/professionals (SPs) are individuals specifically trained to reliably and reproducibly portray patients, family members, healthcare professionals, or others to provide learners with an opportunity to practice vital assessment and communication skills. SPs have skills and interest in training clinicians to better handle professional, patient and family communications.

SP scenarios emphasize a range of skills from the most basic history and physical examination to more challenging situations such as breaking bad news, medical error disclosure, obtaining informed consent, or gender/age/ethnicity sensitivity training.

SPs are often "hybridized" with other modalities such as high-fidelity mannequins or procedural trainers to greatly improve realism for the learner.

Examples include:

• SPs have been hybridized to a birth simulator to provide a realistic portrayal of a newborn delivery.
• Using a training arm joined to the SP under a sheet, they may portray an anxious patient who must be calmed during an IV insertion.
• They portray family members during a witnessed resuscitation to help clinicians learn how to approach this challenging and delicate situation.
• They may act as victims of a mass-casualty event, helping clinicians learn to triage and treat under this unusual circumstance.

Essentially limitless possibilities exist for SPs to portray real situations that help train healthcare providers from all disciplines.

A critical part of simulation training involves the feedback and debriefing that takes place after a simulation exercise. The SP can be directly involved in the debriefing, providing the perspective of the patient to the caregiver. A well-rounded simulation program utilizes SPs to their maximal capacity, providing training that can’t reasonably be achieved by any other means.

If you are interested in becoming an SP, email Becky Moldaver.