Simulation
Interprofessional Healthcare Simulation Center
The state of the art Interprofessional Healthcare Simulation Center, situated within the College of Health and Human Services building, opened in the Summer of 2022. The center is home to six simulated hospital rooms, four simulated outpatient clinic rooms, one simulated apartment for home healthcare and two debriefing classrooms. Outfitted with video and audio capture technology throughout, students have the opportunity to observe their peers and participate in reflective learning opportunities facilitated by trained faculty members. Additionally, the center is equipped with modern hospital equipment including two pyxis automated medication dispensing machines, eight high-fidelity mannequins and wearable simulation technology. In partnership with former Southern Connecticut State University alumni, the center employs the use of a homegrown electronic healthcare record to further enhance learning.
Within the School of Nursing, students are provided the opportunity to challenge themselves in high-acuity, low-frequency client care scenarios as an extension of their formative clinical learning and classroom courses. Students provide care to high-fidelity mannequins or standardized patients in carefully crafted scenarios aimed to replicate realistic clinical experiences. In their final semester, all students complete a summative capstone simulation as a cumulative competency-based assessment.
As part of our simulation offerings, the School of Nursing houses The Southern Connecticut State University Standardized Patient program. The standardized patient program simulates a real-world clinical learning environment. Standardized patients are individuals who are hired and trained to be patients, or participants in a healthcare center for the purpose of student learning and assessment.
About
The Southern Connecticut State University Standardized Patient program simulates a real-world clinical learning environment. Standardized patients are individuals who are hired and trained to be patients, or participants in a healthcare center for the purpose of student learning and assessment.
Standardized Patient encounters and simulations take place in the state-of-the art Health and Human Services Simulation Center. The Center includes six simulated hospital rooms; four standardized patient rooms, home simulation suite; and two debriefing classrooms where students can view videotaped interactions with standardized patients and manikins and consult with faculty supervisors and peers.
What SPs do
A wide variety of curricular elements, scenarios and scripts are used in the following modalities for the purpose of teaching as well as formative and summative assessments:
Objective Structured Clinical Exams
Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) cases are built in collaboration with the specific curricular needs of the program. The standardized patients’ roles during an OSCE are to memorize a script, accurately portray the script and complete an assessment of the learner in a timed or untimed format. A central component of the OSCE is the ability of the standardized patient and/or the faculty member to provide feedback to the learner based on a checklist that is constructed by the faculty requiring the assessment as well as standardized patient observations made in the encounter.
The OSCE can be used to assess multiple dimensions of learner performance including history taking, physical examination, communication, procedural skills, problem solving and decision-making.
In Class Portrayal
In class simulations encompass events where standardized patients portray a patient in a classroom and/or workshop setting with a group of students and faculty. These events are largely designed for learners to work on obtaining new skills within the domain of interviewing, communicating, and medical decision-making. Standardized patients may be provided a regular script or a character/situation summary to improvise.
Live Action Simulation
These events are designed to simulate patients and situations that the students would encounter during an offsite clinical rotation, e.g. a Primary Care Office, Emergency Room, Nursing Home. Working with a faculty member and 6-8 students, SPs portray patients presenting with issues such as Schizophrenia, Wound Care, Substance Use Disorder, PTSD, Bipolar and others.
Becoming an SP
Standardized Patients are hired as independent contractors of SCSU. All Standardized Patients are trained for the role they will fulfill. All training and events are paid by SCSU.
Please visit our FAQ page for more information about the SP role.
For information about becoming a standardized patient please contact Dr. Kristi Maynard at BovaK2@SouthernCT.edu or fill out the interest form below.
What are Standardized Patients?
Standardized Patients (SPs) are individuals who will be trained to portray a patient in a medical situation for the purpose of student learning and evaluation. Students enrolled in the medical, nursing, and health sciences schools will perform medical interviews and/or non-invasive physical examinations on SPs. Candidates should be interested in learning basic medical terminology and protocol. They should be willing to be trained in case portrayal and to subsequently perform that function in a consistent manner with several groups of students. Candidates should be interested in learning how to accurately evaluate students on their performance and how to appropriately deliver feedback to students about their clinical skills to support their development.
Responsibilities
Responsibilities will vary event by event, however as a Standardized Patient you may be expected to do some or all of the following:
- Memorize and role-play detailed and complex patient scenario scripts in a consistent manner.
- Objectively evaluate students’ and provide one-on-one feedback about their examination performance.
- Act as a model for students’ to practice non-invasive physical exams.
- Participate in training sessions as required.
Pay & Hours
Standardized patients are hired and paid as independent contractors. The rate is $25/hour. Standardized patients are not onboarded as employees of SCSU, they are non-benefits eligible. While each SP is hired per event, SPs who have been hired and completed SCSUs onboarding training and have performed in prior SCSU events will have priority for future shifts. A recruitment email will be sent with event details including case, timing and pay per the event. Both time spent training and time spent in the role as an SP is paid time.
The expected hours will vary based upon course and student need. SP programs may be scheduled either mornings or afternoons, Monday – Friday, between 7:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Candidates should not expect this position to be a steady source of income or a regular schedule.
Do I need to have acting experience to be a standardized patient?
No, although some actors work as SPs. You will be asked to portray different roles but you don’t need to have acting experience. At times you may be asked to express different emotions but we will train you in behaviors to do so. Actors are welcome but should understand that being a standardized patient is somewhat different than acting. There is less need for creative interpretation of the case and more need for people to follow the case script precisely.
Do I need to have a medical background to be a standardized patient?
No. Part of your training will be learning what a typical medical interview and physical examination entails. You will learn to evaluate students for their ability to ask the correct questions and perform physical examination maneuvers correctly. For instance, you will be trained to know where a stethoscope should be placed when listening to heart sounds and to assess students on their ability to perform that task.
Will students be asking me about my personal medical problems?
No. You will be portraying cases designed to meet the educational needs of students. However, some of the illness you are asked to portray may in fact be problems you or a loved one has experienced. We do not want standardized patients expressing their personal experiences or biases in the course of their work with students.
Will students be touching me?
In some cases, yes. You may undergo physical examinations by students for teaching and/or assessment. This will include direct touching of your body on the skin, listening with a stethoscope, looking in your mouth with a tongue depressor, checking reflexes with a reflex hammer, etc. You will NOT undergo breast, genitourinary (pelvic, penile and testicular), or rectal examinations.
What will I wear during these sessions?
You will wear hospital gowns in cases where physical examinations are to be done; you will be expected to wear underwear, which must remain on at all times. There is private SP space for you to change in at the facility. Will students be performing procedures on me? Students will check your blood pressure, temperature, and other vital signs. You will not have invasive procedures done, such as blood draws (or other needles), and x-rays will not be performed.
Will students know that I am a standardized patient and not a real patient?
Yes, the students know this is the case. Despite this knowledge, the experience often feels very authentic and provides students an opportunity to practice in a safe environment and receive feedback on how to improve their performance.
Who will be observing my performance?
In some cases you will be working in a small group or classroom with students and faculty present. In this setting one or two students may interview or examine you while 4-8 others observe. In other cases you will be working one on one with a student in one of our private simulated exam rooms. These rooms are digitally monitored and recorded. The recordings are used for educational purposes, and are kept secure.
Will I be grading students?
Not directly. You will be evaluating students for accuracy and completeness of their medical interviews and physical examinations. Typically, you will be given a checklist of questions that students should have asked you, behaviors they should demonstrate, and physical examination maneuvers they should have performed. After your encounter you will be asked to complete this checklist on paper or digitally on a computer. Faculty determines the final grade, usually a combination of other factors within the experience, but your evaluation will be a critical component of the grade. You will undergo training to complete checklists accurately.
Will I be paid for training?
Yes, you will be paid for both training and case portrayal. You will not be compensated for transportation time or cost (gas, etc) to get to the campus, and you will receive no University benefits. We will provide free parking.
Will I interact with students outside of my role as a standardized patient?
At times, at the end of the encounter you will be asked to give feedback to students on their performance. You will be trained to do so. You will not give your “real” name to the student. Other than these brief feedback sessions you will not interact with students outside of your role/character being portrayed as a standardized patient. Standardized patients are not permitted to attempt to contact students in their personal time for any reason. Any communication beyond instructed feedback will be through the staff of the simulation center if ever needed.
How often will I work?
Work as a standardized patient is extremely variable. The standardized patient need is based on the educational program needs as well as the SPs interest and availability. A standardized patient with more flexibility and availability will likely be able to confirm shifts needed. We do not want people to apply for this job with the expectation that it will serve as a regular or dependable source of income.
What are the challenging aspects of being a standardized patient?
The work requires individual case preparation, memorization, and concentration to precisely portray cases as intended. It is also challenging to remember what the student did and to accurately complete the checklist after the encounter. The work can be repetitive with the same case needing to be portrayed over and over. You will need to provide verbal face-to-face feedback to students on their performance at times – both positive and constructive. The work will generally be offered Monday-Friday, 7am-6pm but availability is irregular in terms of days, times, and length within this range. Standardized patients will interact with faculty, staff, students, and other standardized patients. We expect everyone to interact in a nonjudgmental, professional, and respectful manner to achieve our unified goal of creating outstanding educational experiences for the students.
The educational experiences require significant effort to organize and schedule. Standardized patients are expected to show up on time every time and failure to do so will result in no future engagements. Those who have a tendency to be tardy or do not feel they can be reliable for any reason should consider other employment.
What are the benefits of being a standardized patient?
You will learn about medical interviewing and physical examination. You will have the pleasure of contributing to the education of intelligent, hardworking, motivated, and compassionate students. You will work with other standardized patients in a supportive, social, and collaborative environment.