The Use of Standardized Patients during a Comprehensive Assessment for Second Year Medical Students

The Second Year Comprehensive Assessment (CA) is a two week, multi-modal, formative evaluation of all students during March of their second year of medical school. Students receive numeric and narrative feedback to aid in their development of Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) and setting goals for their upcoming third year.

Training of Standardized Patients for the CA consists of three case-specific training sessions for each role. A physician faculty member attends at least one training session for each case to answer questions, ensure physical exam components are being performed correctly and observe the SPs’ rehearsal.

Over the course of the CA, students experience eight videotaped Standardized Patient encounters; all of which students review during the latter part of the CA. During these review sessions, students are provided with the case specific checklist, communication-rating scale and written feedback from each SP. At the end of the CA, students and SPs complete an evaluation about their experience with the CA.

Results received from this process include:

• Feedback from students about SP performance and contribution to the CA experience, as well as the learning tools they derive from individual SP encounters.
• Anonymous SP feedback students receive at the end of the CA relative to individual performance in SP encounters.
• Feedback from the SPs regarding their overall experience throughout the CA process.

The Comprehensive Assessment at URSMD is a valuable learning exercise for students, which helps them to practice clinical skills and formulate personal learning goals for their clerkship year. For SPs, the CA provides them with a sense of fulfillment through their positive contribution in the students’ education.