You may be thinking that we do not have or use “simulated participants” (AKA standardized patients- SPs) at Camosun within the School of Health and Human Services, BUT WE DO!

  • Have you ever used role play in one of your classes?
  • Have you ever asked a faculty member, family member or friend to play a role for you in your class?
  • Have you ever been the voice of a simulator?

If you answered yes to any of these questions you have used experiential learning activities with simulated participants.

Anytime that you use students, faculty, family or friends to play a role for the purpose of teaching and learning, consider using the Association of Standardized Patient Educators-ASPE‘s Standards of Best Practice to help you design a safe and effective experiential learning activity.

Why the shift to simulated participant versus standardized patient/participant? Because human behavior cannot be standardized (Cathy Smith, May 20, 2021).

Have you ever heard a learner say – “I hate acting” when you try and engage them in role play? Help them to understand that we are not training them to be actors, we want them to play themselves as healthcare providers. For learners that you want to portray a role, they need to be trained and understand that this is a learning activity, not acting.

Case in point:

Kramer is definitely an actor in this scenario.

It is essential to provide a learner (faculty, friend, family, SP) that you ask to play a role, guidance and training depending on the breadth and depth of the role you want them to play. For example, you may want to provide them with a script and anticipate any risks to the SP in asking them to play the role. The ASPE Standards of Best Practice can help you to design a physically and psychologically safe learning environment, that will contribute to effective learning that may even be transformative.