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Simulated Patient Program

Play a role in training our future doctors

The School of Medicine is now recruiting members of the community to act as a 'Simulated Patient' to help our students develop their patient interaction skills.


What is a Simulated Patient?

A Simulated Patient is a person who has been coached to role-play a believable patient. Medical Students are provided with the opportunity to learn, practice and explore the quality interaction between patient and doctor in a safe and supportive learning environment.

We all want our doctors to be well-trained and offering to be a patient in this way fulfils an important part in that training. I enjoy it all immensely and it is great to find I can still be useful even in retirement!

Margaret Eldridge

As part of the role, the Simulated Patient assumes the history, body language, physicality, emotional and personality characteristics of a patient with health problems.


Become a Simulated Patient

The School of Medicine recruits and trains community participants of all ages to become a Simulated Patient.

Training is held at the Medical Sciences Precinct Building, 17 Liverpool Street, Hobart.

Participants are trained to role-play a believable patient through performance-based activities and to develop skills and knowledge in student-centred learning and feedback. Although not physically demanding, classes do involve some physical work to extend performance skills:

  • a body warm up to start each session
  • breathing and vocal exercises including articulation exercises
  • activities that develop skills in movement, voice, improvisation, dramatic presence and characterisation

As a retired person, being involved with student examinations is my way of giving something back to society. There are a number of activities a retired person can undertake and do. I found the Simulated Patient Program a challenging, thought provoking and stimulating activity.

Ray Madden

Participants will also be engaged in further Simulated Patient training to help develop their role and skills for more complex learning and evaluation scenarios, including

  • an intensive performance development workshop for the participants to learn how to sustain role-playing and remain creatively alive or ‘in the moment’ when in role
  • 24 hours of intensive workshops over 4 weeks

In all sessions, time is given to group and individual presentations that are critiqued to develop believable performances.

Ready to begin?


Trainers

Image: Michael Beresford

Associate Professor
Michael Beresford

Image: Neil Sefton

Mr Neil Sefton

Head, Human Simulation, Education and Training


Enquiries

Program Administrators

Jane O'Brien:
[e] Jane.OBrien@utas.edu.au
[p] +61 3 6226 4740