Standardized Patients - Physician Assistant Program

Standardized Patients (SPs) are trained individuals who portray patients, family members, or caregivers in a consistent, believable, and repeatable manner for the purpose of teaching and evaluating health-care learners. SPs assist in developing learners’ communication, assessment, clinical reasoning, and interpersonal skills by participating in structured clinical encounters in a simulated environment. This role is central to the program's simulation-based instruction and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs).

SPs are trained to accurately reproduce an assigned case's history, symptoms, emotional state, behaviors, and physical findings. No prior acting or healthcare experience is required unless specified for a particular activity.