Standardized and simulated patient program in Ondokuz Mayis University School of Medicine: Medical education

Abstract

Simulated patient is a healthy person who was carefully coached to accurately mimic a specific patient when given the history and physical examination. The term standardized patient is a broader umbrella for both simulated patients and actual patients who were carefully coached to present their own illnesses in a standardized, unvarying way. In this study, our aim was to share our experience of the standardized and simulated patient program in Ondokuz Mayis University School of Medicine. In the second semester of the first year, the students start with developing their communication skills and history taking capabilities. In the second year, they learn physical examinations. In the third year, they learn specific skills like breaking bad news to the patients and dealing with different age groups. We have four one-way mirror rooms. Each session begins with a demonstration by the student's coach. Following this, the student takes the patient's medical history and then examines the patient. During this time, the remaining six students and the coach watch that student outside the room through the one-way mirror. After the student completes his/her task, the other students and coach provide feedback according to the checklist for that task. In addition, each session is video taped so that the student can watch his/her performance in taking the patient's history and examining the patient. The taping of the session provides invaluable real-time feedback to each student. The students are asked to provide written feedback after each session and Objective Structured Clinical Exams are utilized to evaluate. Medical students seem satisfied about the standardized/simulated patient program.