New standardized patient clinic opens

UofL's three-year-old Standardized Patient Program moved into a new home April 12 with the opening of the $400,000 Clinical Skills Assessment Center.

The new space, part of the School of Medicine's Alumni Center for Medical Education, was designed and equipped to operate like any modern physician's office or clinic.

Each of the center's eight exam rooms is equipped with a video camera and two-way audio system so preceptors can observe students as they interact with the "patients," who actually are actors trained to exhibit various medical ailments.

Faculty members and standardized patients also use the recorded interactions to debrief students on their growing clinical skills.

"We are thrilled to have a permanent, dedicated clinic for our standardized patients," explained Gina Wesley, Ph.D., director of the program. "Our location -- in the Instructional Building and down the hall from our patient simulation clinic -- offers a level of convenience for students and faculty and encourages creative curricular development."

Wesley also is pleased by student reaction.

"Because we took great pains to create a true clinical atmosphere and because our standardized patients are so well-prepared, our students feel they are getting the best clinical experience possible," she said. "The students become deeply involved in their patient interactions and become better communicators, which is one of the program's main goals."