Hosting Tele-Osce Standardized Patient Encounters Amidst a Global Pandemic: A Practical Guide and Lessons Learned

Amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic, simulation centers across the world were forced to adapt their curriculum to remote learning (Barac, Dindia & Park, 2020; Clark, Woll & Miller, 2020; Geekie-Sousa et al., 2020). Standardized patient programs, whose bulk of work is administered through face-to-face encounters, were challenged with finding a way to hold in-person sessions virtually. The following guide will share the steps necessary to build a Tele-OSCE SP encounter for both formative and summative assessments on Zoom Video Communications. It also includes SP and learner workflow charts for both high-stakes and formative OSCEs, and a telehealth protocol for SPs which shares best practices when video teleconferencing. This practical guide will be useful for directors, administrators, and staff of clinical skills programs, standardized patient programs, and those interested in administering fully online standardized patient encounters for learners at all levels.