Surrounded by technology, it’ s still the human touch that is paramount
By Patrick Crowley FSU College of Medicine
Alumni – Do you remember your first experience with a standardized patient?
Chances are it left a lasting impression and played a role in how you practice your profession today.
At the FSU College of Medicine’ s Clinical Learning Center( CLC), where every aspiring doctor and physician assistant must pass through, the recording technology may have changed, the space may have grown, but the basics are still there— honest human interaction and communication.
For future physicians and physician assistants, working with a standardized patient, commonly known as an SP, is most likely the first time they have had to interact, touch and communicate with a person in a clinical setting.
“ It’ s extremely realistic,” said Kelton Williams, who was beginning his second week in the Bridge to
Clinical Medicine master’ s degree program.“ There’ s a sense of nervousness that you get coming in, knowing you are treating someone— or practicing treating someone. You want to make sure you are doing a good job, explaining medical terms in a way they can understand, making them feel comfortable and showing them you are competent enough to perform these physical exams on them.
“ You’ re nervous— because it’ s just you and a standardized patient in the room. It kind of gives you that shock factor like,‘ Oh, wow, I’ m really in medical school and I’ m really practicing these skills.’ Having that exposure is what will ultimately help me perform well as a physician.”
Just like Williams, first-year medical student Isabel Sewiol was also a bit nervous the first time she knocked on the exam room door and walked in as“ the doctor.”
“ Prior to going to the CLC, we [ students ] would practice on each other,” she said.“ It’ s one thing doing it on your peer who’ s a similar age who’ s at a similar point in their life, so I was like,‘ Oh, this will be fine.’ I’ m generally very outgoing and I remember knocking on the door and seeing someone who wasn’ t my peer, who was older than me, and I almost started stuttering and stumbling over my words. I was like,‘ This isn’ t me!’
“ It was much more nerve-wracking than I thought. But it was very rewarding because it pulled me out of my comfort zone. It was very meaningful, but it was definitely a shock to the system.”
And it’ s not just students who benefit from the Standardized Patient Program, so do the SPs.
“ It’ s been a lot more rewarding than I thought,” said Alexa Harkness, who’ s been an SP for a year and a half.“ I thought it would be just a way to get some extra cash while in college. I really didn’ t think I’ d enjoy it as much as I do.”
6 FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY | COLLEGE OF MEDICINE