Conference: A Recap of SP Day
By: Dan Brown, Emory University School of Medicine

Saturday, June 16, 2018 was ASPE’s annual SP day, and participation was at a record high. 45 SPs signed up for the full day of speakers and activities. There were 11 breakout sessions, a plenary speaker, and several other activities.

In “Moving On Up – Going Behind the Scenes as an SPE” Bob Bolyard and Grace Gephardt looked at what an SPE [Standardized Patient Educator] is, what makes a good SPE and then what are some pitfalls that can trip up someone in that position. They also spoke about handling differing SP personalities and juggling several situations at the same time.

Gina Shannon’s plenary was about the improvisational tool of “giving the gift,” a way that improvisers help their scene partners by giving them something to work with. It was very interactive, and the participants partnered up and play brief improvisational games like “What’s In The Box.” She related this to SP work by asking the participants to think of the medical learners as their scene partners, and to bring the desire to make your partner look good to their OSCEs (within the parameters of the case, naturally).

One of the highlights coming out of SP Day was hearing this sentiment, which was later relayed to the membership at large: “Thank you for calling what we do a real profession.”

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