‘Pretend patients’ needed for clinical exams

No-one wants to be a real patient – even at hospitals as fantastic as the ones at Western Sydney Local Health District.

But how about being a pretend patient for a few hours, all in the name of training for first and second year medical students?

The University of Sydney medical program is looking for healthy volunteers to act as patients for the upcoming Year 1 and 2 clinical exams at Westmead Hospital.

Pretend patients might:

• Have a student take a short “medical history” from a script that provided by the university;
• Have an examination of part of their body  – for example, a joint, chest, heart, thyroid or ear;
• Work from a script that asks you to be the parent of an ill child (the child will not be present), or
• Listen to a student explain a procedure to you and obtain your consent.

No procedures will be performed!

Exam organisers are looking for volunteers on Wednesday, 20 September from 7.45am-10.30am or 10.15am-1.30pm, and again on Tuesday 31 September and Wednesday 1 November, from 7.45am-10.30am or 10.15am-1.30pm.

Volunteers will see several students for 10 minutes each and play the same role each time.

Some exam stations need volunteers who are 45 or older.

Food, juice, tea and coffee will be provided to pretend patients, along with all the information needed to play the part. Free parking can be arranged or taxi vouchers provided if required.

For more information, contact Lynette Gallaty on 8890 3768 or wcs.admin@sydney.edu.au;  Margaret Fernandes on 8890 8283 or margaret.fernandes@sydney.edu.au or Jerome Fernandez on 8890 9185 or jerome.fernandez@sydney.edu.au.