Standardized Patients

The Medical Postbac Program students will be able to join the "standardized patients" team. The standardized patient (SP) activities assist medical students in better understanding medical professionalism concepts and help in developing an effective and therapeutic patient-physician relationship through the interaction between the standardized patient and the physician-in-training (medical student).

With the standardized patient program, the Postbac students provide the environment where medical students learn how to perform medical history and physical exam before examining a regular patient in the clinic. The Postbac students will be able to understand the disease etiology and the appropriate medical background to respond to the medical students' questions. By participating in this program, the Postbac students will evaluate the performance of the medical students who will examine the "patient" with specific history or ailments scripted and rehearsed.

The Postbac students will gain insight into the clinical thinking process required to perform a focused history and physical examination. The students will receive training from the College of Medicine's faculty and staff and will have ample opportunity to practice before performing their SP role. These opportunities will provide insight into the physician/patient interaction. By role-playing as the patient, students will place themselves in the patient's shoes, and develop empathy for how they feel as they are questioned or examined by a physician. As an SP, the Postbac students will also have the opportunity to interact with the medical school faculty and staff, receive feedback on their performance, and develop relationships with them.