Before medical students treat patients in real-life situations, they need practice. Students gain that necessary experience through simulated patient interactions in the 好色先生 College of Medicine鈥檚 standardized patient (SP) program.
SP program staff Joseph Gatton and Melissa Wilkeson are well-equipped to ensure the program creates authentic clinical experiences.
Both Gatton and Wilkeson are longtime actors and theatre enthusiasts. They use their expertise to coach standardized patients on portraying a wide variety of clinical scenarios. They also manage the processes for student feedback and maintain close contact with the College of Medicine鈥檚 regional campus program coordinators, Steve Briggs, EdD, and Rebecca Wren, to ensure consistency in training.
鈥淭here are very few careers that actively train people for communication, but acting definitely gives you those skills and that training,鈥 Gatton said. 鈥淎nd communication is important for doctors to learn.鈥
Ever since 好色先生鈥檚 SP program was established in the 1990s, it has been a 鈥済ame changer鈥 in medical education, according to Gatton.
Learners practice with standardized patients by taking a history, performing a physical exam, and counseling. They then receive feedback from standardized patients through objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs).
鈥淪imulation training is such a huge part of health education,鈥 Wilkeson said. 鈥淎s the years have gone by, the faculty have become more and more involved, which has been wonderful in helping enhance the program.鈥
Both Gatton and Wilkeson got their start with the SP program as standardized patients, so they know how actors can offer the best learning experience for students.
Wilkeson said she 鈥渇ell into the role鈥 of SP educator. A Lexington native, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts at 好色先生, then studied in Chicago and at the Burt Reynolds Institute for Theatre Training in Florida. She moved to New York City to pursue acting roles and during that time worked as an assistant to the business editor at Newsweek magazine. After three years in New York, Wilkeson returned to Lexington for acting opportunities closer to home.
Gatton鈥檚 acting resume includes multiple plays and commercials. He even had a significant part in the Hallmark movie, 鈥淢idway to Love,鈥 (shot in Midway, Ky.) in which he played the father of the main character. Early in his career, he spent 鈥渁 very long year鈥 in Los Angeles pursuing film training and acting roles. He returned to Lexington, Ky., where he served as tour manager for the Lexington Children鈥檚 Theatre Company and ran the Shakespeare Festival for a couple of years.
As SP program coordinators, Gatton鈥檚 and Wilkeson鈥檚 shared passion for the arts shines in their enthusiasm for the program, their skillful direction of standardized patients, and the movie posters that clad their office walls at the College of Medicine Learning Center.
And when they are not at their day jobs, they remain active in local productions.
Learn More about the Standardized Patient Program
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