Standardized Patient

SUMMARY: Primary responsibilities include portraying or simulating a patient as part of a case. Standardized patients learn all aspects of a case portrayal, including the patient’s appearance, demeanor, chief complaint, symptoms, past medical history, family history, and physical findings. Standardized Patients are taught to simulate a variety of abnormal physical findings depending on the case needs.

PRINCIPLE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Work in a professional manner when interacting with learners, faculty, and fellow.

• Portray all aspects of the case as trained, including the history of the current problem, with appropriate affect/behavior and physical findings.
• Demonstrate improvisational skills when appropriate in case portrayals.
• Teach knowledge, skills, and behaviors accurately and consistently in a learner-centered approach.
• Complete checklists accurately and consistently.
• Monitor other standardized patients for quality assurance and communicate with the standardized patient Educator or staff about portrayal inconsistencies.
• Inform the faculty of any changes in contact information such as name, telephone, home address, and email address.
• Receive ongoing feedback and modify behaviors accordingly.
• Provide appropriate feedback to learners and colleagues as needed by the project.
• Sign up for training and portrayals.
• If encountering issues that hinder the ability to request shifts during teaching or assessment activities, the standardized patient should expect that the learner might do one or more of the following: conduct an interview, provide patient counseling, and/or perform physical examinations. 

QUALIFICATIONS: Demonstrate strong communication skills, ability, and willingness to work cooperatively with learners, other standardized patients, faculty, and staff. Demonstrate ability to be instructed by a Program Leader and/or Trainer, portray cases, and/or teach and assess skills consistently. Demonstrate flexibility and reliability with scheduling and assignments.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to talk or hear. The employee is regularly required to sit and is required to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

The work environment in this position is generally characteristic of a normal office environment. The employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

NOTE: This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed. The employee will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other duties requested by his or her supervisor.