Standardized Patient Program

Guest training for a real-life scenario as part of our standardized patient program

Train with real patients

At the STAR Center, you have the opportunity to enhance your procedural skills on our state-of-the-art task trainers and manikins. But when you need to brush up on communication techniques, the experience you gain from interacting with a real human is invaluable. That’s why we introduced the Standardized Patient Program.

A Standardized Patient is a person who has been carefully trained to act like an actual patient so even skilled clinicians will not detect the simulation. Standardized Patients allow students to practice:

  • Communication
  • History taking
  • Investigation of physical symptoms
  • Empathy for emotional needs
  • Observation of personalities
  • Attention to body language


Standardized Patients provide a safe and supportive environment for learning and taking assessments. STAR Center instructors can design Standardized Patient courses to meet your learning objectives. Contact the Star Center for more information at (412) 578-4418 or simulation@ahn.org.