Standardized patients, or actors playing the role of actual patients, play an important role in the medical student’s practical education—the learning of interviewing and physical examination skills.

Standardized patients are people who have been trained to reliably and consistently portray healthcare problems and then to evaluate students who examine them. They may critique student interviewing, physical examination and interpersonal skills; teach parts of the examination; or provide feedback to the students on specific patient situations. Some standardized patients may be trained for non-medical simulations or to assist with support roles, such as a spouse or adult child, during projects.

Standardized patients generally put in several hours of training and rehearsal before working with learners. Training includes an introduction to the project, as well as learning how to assume a new identity, work with students and evaluate them after the visit.

Many projects include learning to simulate physical symptoms, like abdominal pain, back pain, fatigue, stroke or heart attack. Some projects provide students with the opportunity to deliver serious and difficult-to-hear information, such as the death of a loved one, likelihood of recovery, or discovery of an abnormal genetic or metabolic problem, before they have to deliver such news to real patients. All cases come from real patient experiences.

At times, the center is also used for faculty development, University department staff education and corporate employee training, which require non-medical portrayals.

Requirements for Standardized Patients

Standardized patients must usually remember 10-20 items of information that may be part of an interview, and must record information about the encounter immediately after it is over. Because this information is recorded on a computer checklist, basic computer skills are required. In addition, all encounters are recorded, making it necessary for standardized patients to feel comfortable in front of the camera.

Becoming a Standardized Patient

If you live in the Washington, DC area and have a flexible schedule, you could become a standardized patient. People who make the best standardized patients typically enjoy performing, are observant, are good listeners, have strong communication skills and are punctual.

If you are interested in participating in our projects, please complete the online application or request an application by contacting Meghan Semiao at 202-994-9875 or msdmls@gwumc.edu.

Completing the Application

When completing the application, please understand that applying to the Program is similar in many ways to applying to an acting agency. When a project or “casting request” calls for a particular type of patient, we search our database of potential patients who fit the type requested. In order to know how well you fit the casting call, our Standardized Patient Application asks you to answer questions about your physical characteristics and medical history. We cannot, for instance, ask a standardized patient who has delivered children by cesarean section to realistically play the role of a woman who has never had children. Her abdominal scars would take away from the realism of the case. All application information is kept confidential.

Once we receive your application, we will review it and match it with our database of patient roles. The selection process may take up to six months or more, depending on the Program needs. Please note that, if selected, you will be considered an independent contractor, not an employee of The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Therefore, you will not be eligible for medical or other benefits.

Compensation

The basic rate of pay is $17 per hour for training and project participation. The training rate assumes that some review will be done at home between training sessions. If standardized patients are teaching basic skills, the rate is $22 per hour. Teaching breast, gynecologic, prostate and rectal exams are part of medical education. People who teach these exams have a pay rate appropriate for the complexity of the educational process and physical examinations. Parking costs for all standardized patient projects are also covered.

Application