How “fake” patients make better doctors

Dean Jerry Youkey, MD

In the not so distant past, medical students developed their clinical skills on real patients.  At the USC School of Medicine Greenville, not only are we breaking from tradition by starting clinical education on day one of year one, our medical students receive much of their early clinical training on sophisticated human simulators, or “fake patients,” at the Greenville Health Simulation Center. These software-driven  simulators allow medical students to learn and master  a vast array of clinical skills, from simple to complex. Discussions following training scenarios reinforce knowledge retention. The result is greater skill and higher confidence among the medical students, and enhanced quality and safety for patients.

USC School of Medicine Greenville Dean Jerry Youkey is a big proponent of patient simulation training and explains how they make better doctors in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZEd2CUAplg