The College of Physicians of Philadelphia hosts that put Philadelphia high school students interested in careers in healthcare and STEM in direct contact with professionals in various fields. Recently, the students in our youth programs had a virtual meeting with people representing an unsung but nonetheless important role in medicine: standardized patients.
are trained professionals who portray patients in simulated medical scenarios and assess healthcare professionals’ responses. These scenarios include various medical emergencies as well as conveying news about patients’ health. For example, a medical professional in training may encounter a “patient” who has experienced severe trauma, or they may need to inform a “patient” they have a life-threatening illness. Standardized patients play a vital role in medical education, emphasizing strong communication and empathy as essential skills for healthcare professionals.
Last week, students in the , , and programs met with Mario Cotto, Meg Foley, Jess Rivera, and Allyson Washington who shared their experiences as standardized patients. Working in pairs, our guests acted out common medical scenarios and walked our students through the process. Then, they put the students themselves in the role of healthcare professionals. The class divided into breakout rooms and students interacted with our guests as they portrayed medical experiences healthcare professionals might face.
Empathy and effectively framing questions were some of the key takeaways from the session, and our students came away with a greater appreciation for the work standardized patients perform in the healthcare system.