|
Standardized Performance Assessment Laboratory (SPAL)
The Standardized Performance Assessment Laboratory offers invaluable real-life experience prior to students' clinical rotations.
SPAL's standardized patients are trained individuals who play the role of actual patients. SPAL enables students to practice and improve their clinical and communication skills, experience diverse cases, and learn from faculty evaluations and video recordings of their performance.
During each SPAL "practical," students review the patient's information and complete a history and a physical examination. Following the encounter, they document their results or give oral presentations to faculty. The laboratory features:
- 12 clinical examination rooms, each equipped with a digital video camera, audio, an intercom system and one-way glass for live observation
- an equipment control room that monitors and video-records all 12 examination rooms
- an educational conference room equipped with TVs that have live links to all 12 examination rooms
- a 12-station computer laboratory for post-practical examinations
- video streaming that enables students to view and critique their patient encounters online on campus
- nearly 100 cases and computer exams
First-year D.O. students have four SPAL practicals, and second-year D.O. students have 10. First-year D.P.M. students have three practicals; second-year D.P.M. students experience one podiatric-focused practical. The first-year PA class experiences five SPAL practicals.
SPAL allows you put into practice what you have learned in your courses, read in textbooks and observed in shadowing experiences, in a real clinical setting.
Standardized patient program
A Standardized Patient is a person who has been carefully coached to accurately simulate a patient with a medical condition, so that the simulation cannot be detected even by a skilled clinician.
Standardized patients are carefully coached to portray a specific patient. They learn a medical scenario describing a group of particular symptoms. In a patient exam room, they will portray this condition while a student interviews and examines them.
Standardized patients will:
- Play the role of patients for medical students.
- Enable students to practice communication skills, history taking techniques and physical examination skills to prepare them to treat future patients.
- Help faculty evaluate medical students' performances.
How do patients know what to say and do?
A detailed description of a real medical case written by a doctor is used. The script includes details of the medical problem as well as information about the patient as a person.
What kind of cases will be portrayed?
Cases are written to teach and analyze interviewing and physical exam skills. Some cases emphasize emotional and behavioral problems such as depression or alcohol abuse. Other cases simulate physical problems such as chest pain or appendicitis. Patients will portray the same medical case several times, each time with a different student.
What is the patient's role in a physical exam session?
Standardized patients portray patients with normal or abnormal findings. The encounter does not require shots, blood tests or other invasive procedures. A video recording will begin as soon as the student enters the examination room. Exams will usually take 20 minutes. ALL sessions are confidential. After the exam, patients will evaluate the medical student.
What do current Standardized Patients think about their experience?
"I thought it sounded terrific when I first heard about it. It has been really good for me, and then I found it was doing good for someone else. It's great when you can do something good, enjoy it, and get paid for it."
What do students think of the program?
"My hat goes off to the people role playing as patients. They were great and their contribution to our medical education is greatly appreciated."
If you are interested in becoming a standardized patient click here to fill out your information.
