Standardized Patients

Today I saw my first patient! Sort of. 

What actually happens in medical school is that they hire actors and actresses to come in and fill the role of a “Standardized Patient” (SP). The patients are trained to present to us with a particular medical problem, and then to provide us with feedback on our care. It’s a great way to learn because it exposes students to seemingly real medical problems, without jeopardizing the treatment of real patients. Additionally, the SPs give fantastic feedback, which you might never receive from a real patient.

Actor or not, seeing a patient for the first time is terrifying ! I was really nervous! You want to make sure to properly address the patient’s needs and get all of the relevant information from them, all the while maintaining their comfort and trust.

Here’s some things that I found difficult:

• Thinking of which question to ask next, while still listening carefully to the answer from the last one
• Knowing when I have enough information; realizing when to end the interview
• Maintaining attentive eye contact without staring
• Expressing empathy in words, as well as body language and facial expression
• Avoiding gap-fillers like “ok” and “alright” – particularly when whatever the patient has just told you is in no way ok, or alright.
• Having nothing to offer the patient yet, with my two weeks of medical training!

So I certainly have a lot to be thinking about, and working on, with regards to my communication skills. But these are crucial skills to becoming a good doctor.