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Standardized Patients (SPs) are generally healthy people who have been carefully trained to realistically reproduce the history, physical, and emotional findings of an actual patient; they come from varying backgrounds and range in age from infants to seniors. SPs provide healthcare learners with the opportunity to practice the critical skills of interviewing, therapeutic communication and/or physical examinations, as well as serve as a standardized tool for the evaluation of student performance.
 

Standardized Patients may participate in:

• Role play – to support student learning through conversations around a variety of complex healthcare scenarios.
• Non-invasive physical examination - a teaching tool for students to learn and practice skills.
• Providing patient point of view feedback to learners.
• Formal assessment of medical learners.

SPs are trained to simulate patients, and in addition, students also learn from Teaching Patients, who are people with complex, but stable medical conditions, and who share lived experience of their condition with student learners.

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Becoming an Standardized Patient

Applicants should have:

• A flexible schedule and weekday availability (most work is Monday to Friday, 8:00 am–6:00 pm).
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Comfort and ability to learn case details and role-play with learners; training is provided.
• Comfort with non-invasive physical exams with small groups of learners.

SP interviews usually take place twice a year.  As casual employees of UPEI, SPs will be paid for training and hours worked with students.

What might disqualify you from being an SP?

• You fall within an age group that is already over-represented in the program
• You have a physical condition that might make it challenging to standardize you with other SPs .
• You've been accepted into medical school or have written the MCAT in the past year.
• Your availability does not meet the needs of our program.