VCU's Standardized Patient Program prepares medical students to speak with patients

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Through VCU's Standardized Patient Program, actors find themselves on an uncommon stage and medical students find themselves practicing to perform difficult conversations. It combines performing arts and real-world medical practice.

'We spend time figuring out how we create this real person," said Stacie Rearden Hall, Program Coordinator for VCU's Standardized Patient Program.

In the program, actors are trained to portray a variety of medical scenarios which, in turn, prepares medical students to diagnose and speak with patients during practice.

Ailments range from simple to complex -- students start off diagnosing and discussing things like sore throats, and later it becomes mental health crises or people in hospice care.

"We found that, just starting with the