Widyandana’s Weblog

Abstract

Background: One of some important components in medical competency practice at Skills Lab FK UGM is by using Simulated Patient (SP) to help students to practice and to do their exams. These times, simulated patients are taken from non academic staffs from some departments at FK UGM who are willing to act as a patient to help students in learning medical competency. The problem in this research is that SP evaluation in medical competency at Skills Lab FK UGM has never been done yet.
The aim of this research is to evaluate simulated patient of medical competency education at Skills Lab FK UGM (the ability to play a role as a patient and to give feedback), apprehending the motivation of simulated patient in medical competency education at Skills Lab FK UGM and simulation patient’s hope of the SP’s training at Skills Lab FK UGM.
Method: The sample of the survey in this research is last year medical students (year 2003) from regular and international program with full PBL curriculum (133 students), continued by Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with simulated patients (16 peoples).
Results: The result of this research shows that the ability of acting and giving feedback to the students aren’t optimum yet, it is shown by some weakness which should be improved. So, we have to realize that the training for SP is very important and this training is approved by the students and simulated patients themselves. There are some motivations to be a simulated patient at Skills Lab School of Medicine Gadjah Mada University, such as: honorarium, motivation to learn and widen their knowledge about health, helping educational process, to be acquainted with many doctors and for a satisfaction. The SP’s recruitment process is basically needed considering the lack amount of SP and the work of SP become less optimum because of the fatigue they get in dealing with too many students in one session. An evaluation system is also needed to protect the quality of SP’s performance in helping the process of medical competency education in Skills Lab.
Suggestions: There are some suggestions coming from students and simulated patients by doing this research : training for SP is needed to be done, especially to increase the ability of playing a role and giving feedback so that SP could do their role best. SP’s training is given by a person who is competent or professional in his or her domain, and the training method could use the 4C/ID model. SP is given a chance to do preparations before the session starts by giving scenario, session protocol, and guide book of SP as soon as possible. Beside, there should be a briefing by an instructor who explains all things to the SP in accordance to his or her role a moment before the session start. The faculty has to pay attention of the barrier and hopes that isn’t yet fulfilled from SP (ex: about the honorarium) so that the work of SP could be increased. New process of recruitment is needed to add more numbers of SP at Skills Lab FK UGM; and a sequence of evaluation process is also needed to be done for the work of SP itself.

Keywords: simulated patients, assessments, acting, feedback.

by Widyandana, MD, MHPE. Coordinator for Simulated Patients in Skills Lab FM GMU.

Published on; Jurnal Pendidikan Kedokteran dan Profesi Kesehatan, AIPKI, 2006

Contact Person for full paper: widyandana@yahoo.com

Full paper tersedia dalam bahasa Indonesia