Standardized Patient Program

A Standardized Patient (SP) is a person who has been trained to accurately and consistently portray an actual patient in a specific medical situation. The SP presents with the patient's history, personality, physical finding, emotional structure, and response pattern.

Why not just use actual patients? While actual or “volunteer” patients are sometimes used for training, their changing health status makes them unsuitable for situations that require a more predictable outcome. SPs provide consistent, standardized learning experiences and are integral to objective pre-licensure assessments.

The University of Alberta's Standardized Patient Program was established in 1992 to recruit, train, and offer Standardized Patients (SPs) for both teaching and assessment purposes. Our SPs are employed at major licensure exams for licensing bodies including the Medical Council of Canada, the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada, Touchstone Institute, and the College of Alberta Denturists. The Standardized Patient Program continues to grow with access to over 300 active SPs.

Our experts work with you to develop and deliver effective simulation experiences. We conduct a needs assessment with each client, research their specific requirements, then match SPs from a pool of trained individuals.