Context

Though commonplace in medical education, standardized patients (SPs) have only recently been introduced into athletic training curricula. Limited research exists on students' perceptions of SPs as an evaluative and learning tool.

Objective

To determine how students interact with SPs within their curricula and to explore students' perceptions of SP experiences.

Design

Consensual qualitative research.

Setting

Individual phone interviews.

Patients or Other Participants

Nine athletic training students (5 professional baccalaureate, 4 professional postbaccalaureate; 8 females, 1 male; age = 23.89 ± 3.33 years) enrolled in the final semester of their program.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Semistructured interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded into themes and categories. To ensure trustworthiness, we used member checks and multiple analyst triangulation.

Results

Two themes emerged regarding the perceptions of the SP experiences: (1) encounter characteristics and (2) perceived value. Participants described typical SP encounter characteristics, including the environment where they occurred and the format and content of the encounter. Standardized patients were used to provide exposure to orthopaedic evaluation, general medical conditions, and emergency situations. Students felt SPs were valuable for improving both clinical and soft skills. Most participants felt the encounters were authentic and that they were able to transfer skills learned into their clinical practice. Students expressed desire for more SP encounters throughout their curriculum to increase preparedness for clinical practice. Challenges associated with SP experiences included difficulty interacting with peers in group encounters and limitations in the accuracy of the portrayals. Overall, participants perceived SP encounters to be positive and worthwhile experiences.

Conclusions

Programs should ensure that SP experiences are authentic, applicable, and emphasize the development of soft skills, such as communication. Based on the demonstrated benefits of SP encounters for students, athletic training faculty should consider exploring ways to incorporate SPs into their curricula.