The Simulated Patient Exam is a simulated patient encounter that will be scheduled in advance with the candidate and will be done remotely using a computer application called Zoom (similar to Facetime or Skype). Zoom is a widely used free application that will easily run on any computer. Your computer needs to have a camera. You will also need access to a speaker phone in order to participate (alternatively, if your computer has a microphone, you can use that as well as your audio). The candidate can participate in this exam from any location where he/she can have privacy and quiet.
At the start time for the session, the candidate will be presented with the text of a referral that mimics the kinds of referral a chaplain tends to receive in normal practice. The referral will be for a situation that requires an immediate visit. A couple minutes later, the client, who might be a patient or a caregiver, will join the call, and the chaplain will commence the encounter (visit) as he/she normally would. The client will be played by a professional actor who has thoroughly studied extensive information about the person he/she is portraying. The candidate will have 20 minutes for the encounter. Within 30 minutes of the close of the encounter, the candidate will submit a chart note on the encounter using the criteria on the scoring sheet. The encounter will be scored by the simulated patient and by two or three senior chaplains.