How to Earn Money Part Time Acting as a Standardized Patient

Earn money helping medical students

If you have a talent for acting, a good memory and a desire to help medical students become more effective doctors and nurses, you may be interested in a part time job as a standardized patient. Nearly all medical schools now employ people as actors to portray patients with particular symptoms, so that med students can learn and practice basic examination, history-taking, diagnostic, counseling and communication skills without risk.

Things You'll Need

• Talent for acting
• A good memory
• Desire to help medical students
• Not be shy

Instructions

1. 

   CONSIDER YOUR AGE AND PHYSICAL CONDITION: Standardized patients of all ages, ethnicities and physical characteristics are sought for these programs. If you have a chronic or controlled condition, such as arthritis or diabetes, or something "interesting" for the students to personally encounter, like a heart murmur or abdominal bruit, rather than disqualifying you from participating, it may actually prove a valuable asset for you in applying, so make sure to note it on your application. If your condition isn't needed for the scenario, the student is instructed that it's not relevant in that particular case.

2. 

   ASK YOURSELF IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT SKILLS: A good memory is important, because you'll be required to remember your "patient's" biography, medical history and symptoms. You'll also be asked to evaluate students and grade them according to a set of established points, so you should be able to remember those points and give detailed and relevant feedback. Acting experience isn't required, but some scenarios will ask you to be able to realistically portray intensely painful or highly emotional states. And, although you won't be given any invasive physicals or examinations, you may be asked to wear a hospital gown, with only your underwear underneath. So, if you're shy, this probably isn't for you!

3. 

   BE FLEXIBLE ABOUT PAY: Pay generally ranges from $10-$25 per hour, including training sessions. Not bad for a part-time job. You're paid as a contractor, basically, so no taxes are withheld. If you sign an additional agreement to participate in the more invasive type exams, like pelvic or prostate, you can get bonus pay, which may or may not be worth it to you. (Frankly, I don't think they could pay me enough to do that!)

4. 

   BE AVAILABLE WHEN YOU'RE NEEDED: Depending on how many training scenarios have "patients" that are appropriate characters for you, how many other standardized patients are available, and how large the school's program is, you may be asked to work as little as several times a year, or as often as several times a month. In large teaching hospitals in large metropolitan areas, you may be able to work several days a week. Work shifts can be as short as 3 hours or they may last all day.

5. 

   FIND A MEDICAL SCHOOL NEAR YOU: Virtually all medical schools use standardized patients, so if you have a med school near you, you can call and ask if they have a program. You can also do a web search for "standardized patient" followed by your city name, and it will likely come up with local schools with programs. For instance, a search for "standardized patient" and Philadelphia immediately found programs at five city medical schools, including Drexel, Temple, UPenn, Osteopathic and a nursing school. The school websites often have detailed FAQs on their particular program, pay rates and an online application.

6. Check out the links in the Resources section to several random programs. They each have background information on their Standardized Patient Program and easy to read FAQs. The last link is to a humorous article written by a columnist who explored what it was like to be a standardized patient for a day. (From my own experience, her story wasn't too far off the mark!) Being a standardized patient can be a fantastic experience. It'll keep your acting and improv skills honed and it pays well. Additionally, being able to contribute a valuable service to the improvement of medical education and care is gratifying.

   ©2009 Lisa Budwig

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to ask about what you should do if you have last-minute changes to your schedule. A standardized patient who is a no-show can cause big problems for both students and administrators.

• Always ask questions during your SP training sessions if you are unsure about personal boundaries.

Resources

• Univ. of Minn SP Program FAQ
• So. Ill. Univ. School of Med SP Program FAQ
• Florida State SP Program FAQ
• Funny article on being a SP