(85) Inclusive Conversations: Standardized Patients as Authors, Role-Players, and Educators in a Pharmacy Skills Laboratory

Objective : To design, implement, and evaluate an inclusive conversations pharmacy skills laboratory session where standardized patients (SPs) with lived experiences collaborate as case authors, role-players, and educators; contrasting traditional models where SPs are often exclusively role-players.

Methods: Skills lab instructors collaborated with SP Educators, from the simulation department, along with SPs with diverse lived case experience, to develop an inclusive conversations lab, focused on building rapport over traditional medication counseling. Unique aspects included: SPs co-authoring cases based on personal experiences related to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, gender-affirming therapy, microaggressions, and naloxone stigma; SPs role-playing cases they helped develop; and SPs leading debriefings. The selection and involvement of SPs aimed to deliver genuine perspectives in a manner that was both respectful and inclusive. Following the lab, students were surveyed on their experiences. Deidentified student surveys were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Over a 3-year period, 370 students completed the lab exercise, and 345 completed the survey. Responding to the prompt, “Adding role-play and feedback sessions with standardized patients/patient educators significantly added to my learning experience,” 276 students (80%) strongly agreed, 65 (18.8%) agreed, 3 (0.9%) disagreed, and 1 (0.3%) strongly disagreed. Analysis of the survey responses revealed five themes: realism and authenticity, diversity and inclusion, empathy and connection, feedback and reflection, practice and preparation for real-world situations.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that SPs with lived experiences co-writing cases with faculty and SP Educators along with the same SPs role-play and leading feedback sessions are highly beneficial in enhancing the educational experience, offering valuable insights into effective teaching strategies in health education. Further research into optimal implementation strategies and long-term learning outcomes is warranted.