Simulated Participant Program
The Springfield College School of Health Sciences is seeking volunteers to portray patients, caregivers, clients, or professionals in simulated health care scenarios for its Simulated Participant Program. Known as “simulated participants,” volunteers will help educate current and future health care providers as well as provide other benefits.
Becoming a simulated participant will help:
- Contribute to the education of current and future health care professionals
- Enhance collaboration with students and professionals to improve health care in our community
- Play a crucial role in enhancing health care safety in our community
- Increase your health care knowledge
- Improve networking with other community members
Simulated participants act in mock settings that include homes, outpatient offices, hospital rooms, and rehabilitation facilities. No acting experience is required. It’s possible for volunteers to incorporate their real medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, or complications from stroke) into scenarios.
The Springfield College Simulated Participant Program welcomes volunteers who are:
- Reliable
- Flexible with their schedule
- Comfortable interacting with others
- Open to training
- Reachable by email and phone
Benefits of the Simulated Participant Program
This program promotes flexible and effective teaching methods, and is especially beneficial for students transitioning from the classroom to real clinical environments. The scenarios, conducted in controlled settings, help students navigate challenging situations, such as considering complex symptom constellations, delivering difficult news, handling hostile patients, and addressing domestic abuse cases. Providing feedback on students’ interactive skills is a fundamental aspect of simulated participant practices.
