Bryan Dobson Speaks about the Role of Standardized Patients in Medical Training( continued)
out and briefly describe the steps that occurred during these interactions between the standardized patients and the medical student,” he said. Does it evolve to the question of whether it is presented according to the formula in the script, or is there the ability for the actor to call on their experience as actors?
“ The answer is both,” according to Dobson.“ There is sort of standard procedure whether it’ s Clinical Skills or Medicine and Society, there is a conversation template. We know what’ s programmed into any conversation. And we build in as many of those details into the cases as we can. Having said that, we get into the room and we’ re all humans interacting, and students present in different ways. They’ re going to try and connect to the patients that they see before them. And they may throw out questions to the SPs and ask for information that we never see coming.
“ It’ s part of the reason why it’ s important to me to work with actors who are very comfortable working in long format, he explained. Can they sustain a character for 20 minutes or more, but also, are they comfortable with improv and within that, can they readily take from their own worlds, their own lives, their own history, their own culture, and infuse that in these sorts of impromptu moments which are absolutely necessary?”
The use of standardized patients in medical school training has become widespread in today’ s American medical schools.“ I actually did a quick Google search because I wasn’ t sure, although most medical schools I’ ve worked at, obviously use these programs,” he stated. The online search showed survey results from the Association of American Medical Colleges, indicating that 94 % of member colleges report using SPs as a standard part of their education.“ And for myself as a member of the association of SP educators, I’ m regularly in conversation with program directors and educators all over the country and certainly around the globe,” he added.
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN lists 400 SPs that work with their students.“ They’ re primarily in Minnesota as well as at their satellite campuses in other states. But it was stunning to see the scope that they’ re reaching for. I think this is really becoming something remarkable in medical education.”
The biggest directive Dobson received coming into this position was to specifically hire a diversified cast of SPs that reflected the populations being served, which has not historically been the case with the corps of actors at other institutions. To fulfill that need, he reached out initially to ethnically diverse local theatre companies, including Latino theatre companies, the largely African American Robey Theater, and East West Players to elicit interest in the actors who are company members to start doing this work.
“ Then I have the benefit,” he noted,“ particularly from Dr. Boyce who heads our Clinical Skills program, of knowing what some of our cases were going to be and any specific populations that would be focused on. For example, our sickle cell cases or calcium-related issues. It helped me as a casting director to know what our needs were going to be.
“ Having that clarity of vision from the course directors from the beginning, helped meet those needs,” he said.“ It’ s not always possible because actors are actors, and this is a flexible position and the actors I might most want to work a case may not be available. But there’ s a wealth of talent all across the board that’ s available to us here. It’ s been one of the more exciting things about the position; finding the diversity and wealth of talent that is here.”
Standardized Patient works with medical students
CDU College of Medicine | PG. 31