Simulation Program for Clinical Performance Improvement
Improving clinical care and patient safety through simulation
Baylor College of Medicine's Simulation Program for Clinical Performance Improvement trains qualified individuals to teach and evaluate medical students, residents, and others in a simulation lab setting. It can be used for teaching and testing a variety of skills for not only students but residents, practicing physicians, nurses, etc... Our Standardized Patients, or SPs, go through a rigorous training process that prepares them for "performances," which we call their scripted interactions with the students.
What is a Standardized Patient?
An SP is a person who has been carefully trained to simulate an actual patient so accurately the simulation cannot be detected by a skilled clinician. While performing a simulation the SP portrays the role of a patient. This is done through the knowledge of history content, body language, physical finding, as well as emotional and personality characteristics. All components are vital but they are not always portrayed for each simulation. Training is determined by the type of exam performed and can vary.