Clinical Skills Center

The Clinical Skills Center is an educational and assessment resource designed to support the learning objectives of the UVA School of Medicine. Based in the Clinical Performance Education Center, the Clinical Skills Center recruits and trains standardized patients (SPs) for instructional and assessment exercises. We are dedicated to providing quality instructional and assessment programs to medical students, residents and other health care professionals.

What is a Standardized Patient?

Standardized or Simulated Patients (SPs) are laypersons trained to portray a variety of patient scenarios for the instruction and assessment of clinical skills of medical students, residents, fellows, and other diverse professionals.

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Clinical Practice Examination

The Clinical Practice Examination (CPX) is a simulated patient-based performance exam, which assesses the application of students’ clinical skills to patient care. This cumulative exam includes ten cases similar to those faced in outpatient practice. Each case includes a unique patient encounter and a written patient note or oral case presentation. The entire exam takes approximately four and a half hours to complete.