Each SP for a particular event is carefully screened to determine how to best use their skills or attributes. As an SP you are expected to learn "Facts" about the case that you will be portraying. These "Facts" are just like the facts in your own personal situation, except they are not about you; they are about the fictitious person that you are portraying. You will be expected to memorize these "Facts." Your portrayal of the case will be much like when you visit your own health care provider, except you will respond to a student's questions with the "Facts" that you have memorized.
Training time for individual roles is typically one hour, which includes training sessions led by center staff and clinical faculty. During the training sessions, SPs study the learning objectives developed by the faculty, practice their role, receive instruction on feedback skills, and may undergo a "dry run" with clinical faculty.
Although this job is very rewarding, it is not easy nor is it for everybody. It requires intense concentration while being interviewed and examined. You must be able to maintain not only the patient's character but also simulate their physical condition during an encounter. After the encounter, recall the student's performance is necessary in order to fill out a computerized checklist. You may also be required to provide verbal feedback directly to the student. In order to provide every student with the same experience, you will perform these steps repeatedly throughout the entire event. Being an SP takes energy, memorization, discipline, attention to detail, and excellent communication skills.
