Standardized Patient Program

The Standardized Patient (SP) Program at the University of Michigan Medical School was established in 1989. The U-M Medical School was one of the first medical schools in the United States to implement a formal SP program as part of its curriculum. 

In July 2015, the SP Program moved into the 3rd floor of the Taubman Health Sciences Library, (THSL)  a 35-year old building  renovated with the purpose of enhancing medical students' options and resources as they develop knowledge and skills needed as future doctors.  THSL serves as the central learning hub for medical students. The 3rd floor Center for Experiential Learning and Assessment (CELA) supports student practice and assessment with SPs as well as Doctoring activities within the 30 clinical skills rooms. 

Phased in during the fall of 2015, the medical school's curricular model provides our medical students with a competency-based curriculum, integrating scientific and clinical learning across all four years.  Medical students go through foundational learning experiences -the Scientific Trunk and the Clinical Trunk - and then the flexible phase of the curriculum- the Branches.  Throughout medical school, students participate in multiple cases involving standardized patients, seeing chief concerns and medical issues in relation to the curricular topics studied. As medical knowledge and communication skills grow, students participate in more demanding cases in the latter part of the education phases.