Our vision is to advance clinical skills patient safety, healthcare effectiveness, and communication through the use of interprofessional teamwork, innovative technology, and immersive training methods.
Our mission is to provide evidence-based simulations and clinical training opportunities to advance the translation of education and knowledge into clinical practice. The AU/UGA Medical Partnership offers a safe and engaging learning environment that complements the existing educational curriculum for medical students.
A Standardized Patient (SP) is . . .
Someone who has been trained to accurately portray in a consistent, standardized manner, a patient in a medical situation. SPs are used by the AU/UGA Medical Partnership and other institutions to teach and evaluate students. SPs learn a case based on a real patient other than themselves and are interviewed and/or examine by students as though they were that person in the doctor’s office or clinic, giving the patient’s history and simulating their physical signs such as pain, cough, or difficulty walking.
That sounds like acting
Some SPs are experienced actors, but most are not. You can be a very good SP without ever having been on stage or in a movie. There are some similarities to what actors do, but there are differences too.
We need you!
We are looking for people of all gender identities, ages, physical types, ethnic groups, and diverse backgrounds to represent the various types of patients they will be portraying. We need individuals who are strong communicators, who can learn quickly, accept direction, and adapt easily to a variety of different situations.
Training & Preparation
Once hired, SPs meet with the SP Director and SP Coordinator for training sessions. We will teach you what you need to know to accurately portray a case. The amount of time needed for further training will depend on the complexity of the case and the standardized patient’s experience. Certain cases require the SP to provide feedback and/or score student performance assessments so they will need to be trained on that as well. Before encountering students, SPs are required to observe other SPs performances before they portray a case. Please note that training is mandatory; you cannot work unless you attend training.
Get paid to play an SP
SPs are considered occasional employees of the University of Georgia. You are scheduled according to the needs of the program and the case being portrayed. Most of the SP-student encounters take place on weekdays. We match your abilities as closely as possible with the current projects and then match schedule needs to your availability. You determine how often you want to work by signing up at the beginning of a semester. SPs are paid $16 an hour and are paid on a bi-weekly basis.
I’m still interested
Please fill out the attached document and send to MedPartnershipSP@uga.edu. We hire at different times depending on the needs of the program. Even if we do not use you right away, we will keep your application on file for future needs.
If you would like more information on becoming a standardized patient, please contact Tina E. Powers, Standardized Patient Program Coordinator, at 706-713-2642 or email tepowers@uga.edu.
