In today's medical education curriculum, it is necessary for students to learn the proper techniques for taking medical histories, performing physical exams, and the appropriate way to educate and inform patients. The best way for a student to learn these skills is through hands-on training with a Standardized Patient (SP) - an actor who has been hired to portray a specific set of health problems and symptoms. This type of training allows students to grasp concepts more quickly and enables faculty physicians to directly observe student's progress and asses their need for further instruction. Working with SP's has become so important in medical education that it is now a component of the USMLE clinical skills assessment exam. As with any tool that is used for teaching, assessment, and certification, it is easier to provide the best service when there are general guidelines for preparers to follow. The coaches who prepare SP's are no exception and there needs to be a guide for those who train SP's for their roles in new doctor education. This handbook is intended as that guide and as a support for those who are involved in training Standardized Patients, from the art of coaching through preparing SP's for the physical exam, to encourage each coach to develop a system that will deliver the best results and, in the end, help train the most competent doctors.
Dedication; Acknowledgements; Preface; Introduction; List of Figures and Tables; PART ONE: Coaching Competencies: Developing the Skill Sets Needed for Coaching Standardized Patients; * Introduction: The Art and Practice of Coaching Standardized Patients The Collaboration in Standardized Patient Work; * The Uniqueness of Standardized Patient Work; * Some Qualities of Effective Coaches; * The Importance of Selecting the Right SPs; * The Skills Needed to Be an SP; * The Skills Needed to Be an SP Coach; * Chapter Summary; * Looking Ahead; * Clinical Skills: Acquiring the Basic Doctoring Skills; * Learning the Four Clinical Skill Sets; * Portraying the Medical Student With the SPs; * Chapter Summary; * Looking Ahead; * Acting: Understanding How the SPs Portray the Patient; * Getting Into the Patient's Psyche; * Familiarizing Ourselves With the Actor's Tools; * The Interconnectedness of Acting, Directing, and SP Coaching; * The Art of Acting: A Model for Enhancing Patient Portrayals; * Chapter Summary; * Looking Ahead; * Directing: Coaching to Deepen the SPs' Performances; * The Relationship of the Coach/Director With the SPs; * Chapter Summary; * Looking Ahead; PART TWO: Training Procedures: Finding and Training the Standardized Patients; * Casting: Finding the Right Standardized Patients; * Recruitment; * Auditioning; * Selection; * Chapter Summary; * Looking Ahead; * Training the Standardized Patients: An Overview; * General Guidelines for Training; * Training Session One: Familiarization with the Case; * Notes to the SP Coach About Training Session One; * Training Session Two: Learning to Use the Checklist; * Principles for Checklist Coaching; * The Goal of Training Session Two; * The Training Setting; * Summary of the Training Activities; * Reminders; * Session Two Training Activities; * Preparation of the SPs for Training Session Three; * The Coach's Preparation for Training Session Three; * Training Session Three: Putting It All Together; * Training Session Four: The First Dress Rehearsal; * Training Options: Variations on the Training Sessions; * Determining the SP Training Necessary; * Reorganizing the Activities of the Middle Training Sessions; * The Practice Exam: The Final Dress Rehearsal; * The Goal of the Practice Exam; * The Practice Exam Setting; * Summary of the Practice Exam Activities; * Reminders; * The Practice Exam Activities; * Preparation of the SPs for the Actual Exam; * The Coach's Preparation for the CPX - and Examination Follow-up Activities; * Afterword; * References; * Additional Readings; * Appendix A: Maria Gomez Case Materials; * Appendix B: SP Administrative Forms.
