Physician assistant students gain relevant, hands-on experience in the Standardized Performance Assessment Laboratory (SPAL).
Students interact with standardized patients who are trained to play the role of actual patients.They enhance communication and diagnostic reasoning skills in a controlled environment before working with patients in clinical settings.
SPAL lets faculty assess students’ skills, attitudes and provider/patient relationships in a real-world setting. First-year PA students have nine SPAL practicals and one in their second year.
SPAL facility
12 clinical examination rooms – each equipped with a digital audio/video camera, intercom system, one-way glass for observation and two computers for faculty and SPs to complete evaluations- Control room – where all 12 rooms are timed, monitored and video captured
- Rooms for post-encounter documentation and debriefing
- Video streaming – allows students to view and critique their own encounters online while on campus
- More than 80 standardized patients
- More than 100 developed cases and about 5,000 student/patient encounters a year