Standardized Patient Educator

Job Description

The Department of Medical Education in the College of Medicine at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is seeking a full-time Senor Staff Assistant / Standardized Patient Educator.

The Standardized Patient Educator interacts with, trains, educates and oversees standardized patients who are a critical part of the clinical skills curriculum for all 800 medical students at SUNY Downstate. Additionally, the successful candidate will be accountable for:

• Exam & Event Management
  • Recruit, schedule, and coordinate standardized patients (SPs) for educational activities and assessment under the direction of the SP Director.
  • Manage logistics for simulation-based exams (e.g., OSCEs}, including room setup, materials, and timing.
  • Process and submit payroll for SP participants.
  • Ensure smooth execution of all simulation events and troubleshoot real-time issues.
• Educational Support & Assessment Delivery
  • Assist in planning, organizing, and delivering formative and summative assessments.
  • Support faculty in the development and execution of Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs).
  • Monitor SP and learner performance during sessions to ensure adherence to case objectives. Maintain exam integrity, standardization, and consistency across all sessions.
• Quality Assurance & Program Oversight
  • Conduct quality assurance reviews of live and recorded SP encounters.
  • Evaluate SP performance for accuracy, professionalism, and reliability.
• Training & Development
  • Assist in training SPs to accurately portray clinical cases.
  • Develop and implement training materials and sessions for SP onboarding and ongoing education.
  • Facilitate group and individual SP training sessions.
  • Provide feedback and coaching to SPs to improve performance and consistency.
• Administrative & Systems Management
  • Maintain and update data in the learning management system (LMS}.
  • Prepare reports and documentation related to SP activities and assessments.
  • Coordinate communication between faculty, students, and SPs.
  • Ensure proper documentation and recordkeeping for all program activities.

• Bachelor's Degree.
• Previous experience as an SP or SP educator.
• Experience in performance coaching, education, clinical training, communication skills facilitation, or related fields.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational communication skills, with excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to multitask and manage logistics in fast-paced teaching environments.
• Commitment to confidentiality, professionalism, and learner safety.
• Familiarity with performance-based assessment.
• Understanding of healthcare delivery and patient-provider communication.
• Cultural humility and commitment to equity and representation in simulation.
• Ability to learn quickly and adapt to changing curricula.
• Or, a satisfactory equivalent combination of experience, education and training to the above.

• Master's Degree in Education, Communication, Health Professions, Theatre, or a related field.
• Experience in clinical simulation environments.
• Experience running OSCEs or performance-based assessment events.
• Performance or directing background (theatre, film, improv).