UT Tyler School of Medicine introduces Simulated Patient Program

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - The UT Tyler School of Medicine is recruiting community members to role-play as patients for the upcoming class of medical students. It is called the Simulated Patient Program.

“They’re going to be portraying the demographics that we see here in East Texas and we want our students to be able to know how to work with their community from early on.” said Assistant Dean of Clinical Competence and Integration, Dr. Rebeca Gavan.

Director of the Simulated Patient Program, Dr. Karen Lewis said, “You’re enabling students to learn how to talk to patients and how to do physical exams before they actually go out and do that with real patients.”

Community members will learn how to recreate different health scenarios like hypertension or frequent migraines, as well as recreate response patterns and the emotional structure of an actual patient. They will also learn to give feedback to the students.

“That’s really the big difference between having a real patient and having a simulated patient is they’re really trained to be able to help the learners grow.” said Dr. Gavan.

They are recruiting all ages, races, and backgrounds for this part-time position.

Dr. Lewis said, “They can come from all walks of life. Teaching is a good one because they’re used to working with learners. Trainers too, if someone with a training background can be really helpful.”

The school of medicine is looking to hire forty patients before classes begin this June. After reviewing the resumes, the School of Medicine will invite qualifying applicants to audition on March 30, March 31, April 14 or April 15.

“I think one thing SP’s say is that it’s really rewarding for them because they feel like they’re giving back to the community and while they like playing the roles, I think ultimately that’s why they stay.” said Dr. Lewis.

To apply for the UT Tyler School of Medicine Simulated Patient Program, click here.

Copyright 2023 KLTV. All rights reserved.