Prospective Standardized Patients

Thank you for your interest in the Standardized Patient Program at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine! Standardized patients play an integral role as they realistically portray patients in a simulated encounter. These encounters enable students to develop their communication/interpersonal skills along with physical examination (ex. listen to heart sounds) and procedural (ex. take a blood pressure) skills.

You do not need an acting degree or experience! You do need a flexible schedule and the ability to memorize a case, accurately portray a patient, be a good listener and remember what the student asked and did during the simulated encounter.

Application Process

Here at Heritage College, we utilize standardized patients in the clinical skills lab, in which Osteopathic Medical Students conduct interviews, perform physical assessments, both non-invasive and gynecological/genitourinary examinations. Each standardized patient decides which type of exams they would like to be considered for - interview only, non-invasive labs and gynecologic/genitourinary (GYN/GU exam). There may also be opportunities in the Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) lab and in simulations with our students. The pay is $25/hour for assessment labs and $80/hour for more invasive labs (ex. GYN/BREAST/GU exams).

Labs are typically on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. or 1 p.m.-5 p.m. We use an online scheduling process and match standardized patient availability with faculty requests.

The next step is to complete an application online. The instructions and link are below. Once we review your application and complete a reference check, we will reach out to you about the next standardized patient information/orientation session.

Before you get started on the application, here are a few things to know:

• It works best to complete the application on a computer rather than an iPad or tablet.
• Once you start the application, you cannot switch to a different device or save and return to it later.
• The application includes general information such as address, phone, height, weight, ethnicity, languages you speak. The next section allows you to select your availability. The application then asks for additional information about any standardized patient experience. This is followed by general medical information. We use height/weight and basic medical information when faculty have specific patient needs for the learning objectives. Please have all this information available when you start.

Please let us know if you have any questions about the application process.

Apply here

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