Shape the Next Generation Of Health Care Professionals
Standardized patients play a critical role in the education of future health care professionals. They enable Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences students to develop their clinical and professional skills before interacting with “real” patients.
A standardized patient is trained to act as a patient for teaching and evaluating medical students and other professional health care students. Standardized patients provide a safe and supporting environment for learning and standardized assessment. As a standardized patient, you will:
- Portray the role of a patient with a specific medical history and physical condition.
- Provide feedback to the student from a patient’s point of view.
- Assess student performance.
Pay Scale: You are paid $19 per hour for both training and performances. Taxes are deducted before you receive your payment.
Fitness Facility: As an employee of DMU, you are entitled to use the Wellness Center on campus.
Direct Deposit: Available for all standardized patients. You receive your payment more quickly by using this service, especially around the holidays.
Flexible Work: We give advanced notice of performances and training so that you can schedule other work around us.
- Scheduling is based on the curricular needs of the medical school and other health profession schools.
- Audition calls are sent out to all standardized patients.
- Interested standardized patients can sign up for the curricular event and are selected based on the curricular case and need.
- Some curricular events require a full eight-hour workday while other events may only require a three- to four-hour workday.
- Curricular events are mainly scheduled from. 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- All curricular events require training prior to the performance.
How Often Would I Work?
It varies based on the curricular needs of the medical school and other health profession schools. We are not able to guarantee a fixed minimum or maximum number of hours of work for standardized patients. We do require all standardized patients to be available to play a minimum of four cases per academic year.
Are Physical Exams by Students Invasive?
You will never be asked to undergo a breast, pelvic, rectal, or genital exam. Exams that might be done will be like what you would experience at a clinic or doctor’s office.
Will I Need to Be Undressed?
Some of our cases require standardized patients to be in hospital gowns and robes. Standardized patients always wear appropriate underwear and socks. Female standardized patients always wear bras. The students are trained in appropriate draping to protect your modesty while you are being examined. All exams are done on skin so you might be asked to lower or raise your gown briefly.
Will My Performance Be Videotaped?
All performances are videotaped for education purposes and assessment by students and faculty members.
Simulation Center Staff
The Human Simulation Lab provides a clinical setting for DMU students to apply their professionalism, communication, organization, clinical reasoning and examination. Contact us to get involved or learn more about research at DMU.
