Standardized patients can help medical students practice clinical skills, but the work varies. UC Davis Health, for example, describes participants in its program as taking part in non-invasive examinations, such as having their heart and lungs checked. A new California Northstate University College of Medicine vacancy in Elk Grove involves a different, more physically demanding form of instruction.
The university is seeking part-time participants at $55 an hour to undergo repeated pelvic, genital, breast and rectal examinations so students can practice sensitive clinical skills, according to The Sacramento Bee’s account of the job posting. The intermittent sessions are scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The posting does not say how many hours a successful applicant would work.
What the Elk Grove role involves
The posting describes different examinations for participants: women may undergo speculum, manual pelvic and breast exams; men may undergo hernia, genital, rectal and prostate exams. Participants must be willing to wear a hospital gown and repeat the examinations, as well as learn scripts, respond in character and give students feedback, the Bee reported.
Applicants must be at least 18, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and demonstrate strong reading, writing and communication skills. Acting experience is preferred but not required. The posting calls for a cover letter, résumé or curriculum vitae, and any supporting information; it says applications will be reviewed immediately and recruitment will continue until the positions are filled, according to the Bee.
The UC Davis description provides a useful local point of comparison, not a universal definition of standardized-patient work: programs and roles differ. CNU’s advertised position specifically requires participants to serve as instructors through intimate physical examinations and real-time feedback, rather than only portraying a patient in a simulated conversation.
A separate legal safeguard
A separate legal safeguard California law addresses another setting. Assembly Bill 663, enacted in 2003 and codified as Business and Professions Code Section 2281, prohibits physicians and medical students from performing pelvic examinations on unconscious or anesthetized female patients without prior informed consent, except when the examination is within the scope of care for a surgical procedure or diagnostic examination, or when an examination of an unconscious patient is required for diagnostic purposes, according to California Legislative Information. That rule concerns examinations of unconscious or anesthetized patients; it does not establish why CNU is hiring teaching participants or set the terms of this scheduled training role.
A 2021 review of gynecological and male urogenital teaching associates emphasized the importance of protecting physical and psychological safety. The review reported generally positive educational outcomes while emphasizing those safeguards.
For the Elk Grove openings, the practical terms remain only partly clear: the hourly rate, days and session window are listed, but the posting does not specify the amount of work available to each hire.
