Standardized Patient Program

The Standardized Patient Program (SPP) was established in 1990 to serve UT Southwestern Medical School in assessing the history gathering and physical exam skills of medical students.

Standardized patients (SPs) are trained to portray realistic patients, which provides the learner an opportunity to gain confidence in their history gathering, physical exam, and communication skills. Learners also are given the opportunity to formulate clinical reasoning in a safe environment.

We have over 100 diverse standardized patients. The majority of our SPs have over 10 years of experience as a standardized patient.

UT Southwestern Medical Center was selected by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) as a site for researching the effectiveness of the use of standardized patients for licensure examinations.

Want to learn more? Read frequently asked questions about the standardized patient program.

Are you interested in becoming a standardized patient? Learn more about becoming a standardized patient.