About Simulated Patients

What is a Simulated Patient (SP)?

An SP is an individual who is trained to role-play or portray a patient with a medical condition, or a patient seeking medication counseling. For example, you might participate as a patient with headache symptoms coming to visit a health care provider – such as medicine or pharmacy student, resident or advanced practice nurse. Students would interact with you to practice clinical skills, which may include medical interviewing, physical exam skills, medication review and counseling skills, health assessment, diagnosis and management. Generally, the interviews are recorded and reviewed with faculty and peers.

SPs may be used in conjunction with medical simulation. For example, students may be asked to perform an invasive procedure on a task trainer or human patient simulator (mannequin). These simulators allows students to practice invasive procedures such as IV insertion, injections or intubation. SPs perform the communicative role, while the task trainers allow for practice of more invasive clinical skills, all within the same encounter.

The SP program also includes teenagers and children in pediatric cases. These cases may involve an actual parent or SP portraying a parent/guardian.

Simulated Patient Training

Simulated Patient (SP) Educators prepare simulated/standardized patients for interviews and exams with Northeast Ohio Medical University’s students, affiliated residents and a variety of healthcare professionals.

SP training consists of case review, role-playing, and question-and-answer sessions. SP Educators contact eligible SPs regarding their availability for a particular case or assessment.  SPs are recruited for activities according to their schedule and personal comfort level.