A brief description of the way simulated patient (SP)-based educational experiences are a part of students’ training follows:

Semesters 1 – 3:  The Pre-Clinical Curriculum:

• Multiple facilitator-led small group sessions allow students to work through a patient scenario(s) to practice targeted communication skills, such as establishing rapport, asking open-ended questions, and expressing empathy 
  • Students learn to offer feedback, and receive it from their peers, their facilitator, and the SP
  • Small Group sessions in which students systems-based physical exam skills in a hands-on setting  
• Physical Exam Teaching Associates (PETAs), who are an elite group of specially- and rigorously trained SPs, participate in these sessions.  PETAs offer guidance and patient-centered topics, such as effective draping, asking for permission, etc.
• Individual One-on-One interactions with an SP during which students practice the targeted skills for the session, receive individualized patient-centered feedback
• End-of-semester Objective Structure Clinical Examinations (OSCEs)
  • Students demonstrate multiple clinical and communications skills through a variety of tasks and stations. 
  • Students are scored in these stations, and these scores are used as a part of the course grades.

 

Semesters 4-5: The Core Clerkships:

Education Days

• Facilitator-led small group sessions 
• Students work through more advanced scenarios and practice more complex communication skills 
• Feedback is provided by peers, clinical and communication facilitators, and the SPs.
  • Suicide Risk Assessment
  • Sexual History
  • Shared Decision Making 

Multi-station OSCEs

• Clerkship OSCEs occur toward the end of blocked core clerkships.
  • Students work in realistic clinical settings in a realistic time-frame.
  • Students use clinical reasoning and communication skills to work through clerkship-specific clinical scenarios and relevant tasks.
    • interpreting laboratory data
    • writing patient notes
• Clerkship OSCEs are required by the clerkships.
  • Scores are used in the calculation of clerkship grades.
  • Missed OSCEs are made up in later blocks of the clerkship.
• Clerkship OSCEs are collegiate requirements.
  • Scores are used in part to determine students' readiness for the USMLE Step 2CS examination.
  • Scores are used in part to determine students' readiness for the Phase 3 curriculum.