Webinar Summary | In the Role of a Simulated Patient

In this webinar, Ros interviewed Peter about his experience of becoming a simulated patient at the Language and Communication Department, University of Pécs, Hungary. They discussed Peter´s career prior to taking on this role, his approach to teaching and assessing communication skills, as well as the most challenging role play scenarios.

 The program of a simulated patient at the University of Pécs is unique. It is delivered in Hungarian, English and German, and the University is the only one in Hungary that provides such a program.

Peter was offered this opportunity thanks to networking at a conference. He is a freelance ESP teacher who didn’t have any medical background. For this role, he was trained by an actress and colleagues at the department in how to act as a simulated patient and how to provide feedback to students.

Peter describes a simulated patient as someone who interacts with medical students in a role play situation pretending to be a patient. He helps prepare international medical students in taking a medical history and building a relationship with a patient, as well as handling sensitive situations with empathy and appropriate non-verbal communication.

When he provides feedback, he focuses on strengths and weaknesses in the above rather than on linguistic aspects. He provides reflection on student performance and makes suggestions for improvements. For example, he uses language such as “How do you think it went for you… I heard… when you said or you did… and that made me feel… maybe we could have done something like…”.

In the interview, both Ros and Peter agreed on the importance of implementing the simulated patient role in the training of all kinds of healthcare professionals. They also discussed the challenges of using AI-simulated patients. Although the technology is available 24/7 and might be a cost-saving solution for universities and training centres, it isn’t able to provide feedback on soft skills, such as showing empathy, using non-verbal signs, as well as providing a student with specific recommendations based on the trainer’s experience.

Watch the video to learn more about:

• Peter´s professional background and the moment when he was offered this opportunity
• Critical communication skills needed in healthcare practice
• Challenges in communication skills assessment
• How  AI technology is stepping into the game
• Specific situations he has experienced in the classroom

Download the summary