Blurring the Line Between Standardized and Real Patients: Twelve Tips for Improving the Authenticity of Standardized Patient Encounters

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The standardized patient (SP) encounter is an integral curricular activity of undergraduate medical education (UME), guiding medical students towards competent and compassionate clinical practice. However, their evaluative nature within medical curricula has masked these encounters’ original intentions and transformed them into performances rather than genuine interactions. To minimize this derailing, we developed 12 tips, each correlated with Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies, for improving SP encounter authenticity among students, SPs, and faculty alike. By re-emphasizing empathetic clinical reasoning, SP encounters will be able to better prepare students for the real patient interactions of clerkships and beyond.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1017-1024
Number of pages8
JournalMedical Science Educator
Volume35
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) under exclusive licence to International Association of Medical Science Educators 2024.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • Education

Keywords

  • Clinical skills assessments
  • Clinical skills training
  • Educational reform
  • Undergraduate medical education

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Blurring the Line Between Standardized and Real Patients: Twelve Tips for Improving the Authenticity of Standardized Patient Encounters'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this