Diseases I Have Played - Interview With Actor Manolo Santalla
Interview with Actor Manolo Santalla Q:Tell us about your experience as a Standardized Patient (SP) and how you got into it? A:I got a call one day from the George Washington University School of Medicine asking me if I was interested in becoming an SP.
I had never heard the term SP.
I didn't know what it stood for and didn't even know that such a program existed.
The woman who called explained to me that SP stood for Standardized Patient and that I would be role playing patients with various ailments for medical students.
"Where did you get my name and number?" I asked.
"Oh, I got it from the Actors' Center.
"My first assignment was portraying a Hispanic with a pneumothorax.
(A what?) Q:What was that experience like? A:The trainer helped me with the mechanics of how to present my condition, what to say, what not to say, and the role playing aspect, but I was still nervous about the process and thought there might be too much medical and social history to remember.
(SPs are required to remember the character's social and medical history.
) But Tina Segovia, who was also being trained on the same case -- and had plenty of experience doing SP work -- took me aside and said, -- "Manolo, let me tell you how it goes.
" She gave me the moment-to-moment rundown; she painted a picture for me of what actually happens during the medical interview.
The trainer explained how I was to "present" the medical condition; Tina told me what to expect from an actor's point of view and how the "scene" would most likely play.
It was also reassuring to hear Tina say, "Trust me, some of the student doctors are just as nervous as you are.
" Martha Karl, a fellow SP at another medical school, once told me that she thinks of SP work as a great way to work on her improvisational skills.
She also pointed out that SPs are required to listen to what the students say and do because SPs record results at the end of the encounters.
Honing listening and observational skills are keenly important to an actor.
I remember one encounter that made me think about what the medical students go through during these encounters.
Q:What experience was that? A:After working as an SP for a few months I was asked to participate in physical exams.
Part of this exercise involves a feedback session with the medical student.
During a feedback session, this student said something that showed me how vulnerable we all are.
He said, "I was really nervous because while I've practiced these procedures -- taking a pulse, listening to the heart and lungs, taking blood pressure, checking reflexes, etc.
, but I'd never done them on someone wearing a hospital gown.
It's a very different thing when you're working with a real person wearing a gown.
" Nothing embarrassing is exposed during the exams, but it never occurred to me that students had to gain a comfort level asking patients to raise or lower their gowns.
Imagine young students going into a room and seeing a lady who could be a mom, aunt, grandmother, or neighbor, and saying "please untie and lower your gown," and they've never done this before and aren't quite sure what to say or do, but have to be professional all the same.
All aspects of performing a physical examination require practice, and I would say that many of these young people are remarkably professional and poised.
I'd like to add that the administrators and trainers at GW are always cordial, professional, warm, and very welcoming.
They treat actors well and thank us for coming in when we're done.
This is great program because these are the folks who will eventually treat us when we need medical attention in the future.
We are the people they can practice on.
We're a part of their education.
We provide the practice they need so that when they go out into the world, they're ready.
-- Note:The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences Standardized Patient Program is always looking for interested individuals to participate in standardized patient (SP) projects.
For more information or program applications, contact Karen L.
Lewis, Ph.
D.
I had never heard the term SP.
I didn't know what it stood for and didn't even know that such a program existed.
The woman who called explained to me that SP stood for Standardized Patient and that I would be role playing patients with various ailments for medical students.
"Where did you get my name and number?" I asked.
"Oh, I got it from the Actors' Center.
"My first assignment was portraying a Hispanic with a pneumothorax.
(A what?) Q:What was that experience like? A:The trainer helped me with the mechanics of how to present my condition, what to say, what not to say, and the role playing aspect, but I was still nervous about the process and thought there might be too much medical and social history to remember.
(SPs are required to remember the character's social and medical history.
) But Tina Segovia, who was also being trained on the same case -- and had plenty of experience doing SP work -- took me aside and said, -- "Manolo, let me tell you how it goes.
" She gave me the moment-to-moment rundown; she painted a picture for me of what actually happens during the medical interview.
The trainer explained how I was to "present" the medical condition; Tina told me what to expect from an actor's point of view and how the "scene" would most likely play.
It was also reassuring to hear Tina say, "Trust me, some of the student doctors are just as nervous as you are.
" Martha Karl, a fellow SP at another medical school, once told me that she thinks of SP work as a great way to work on her improvisational skills.
She also pointed out that SPs are required to listen to what the students say and do because SPs record results at the end of the encounters.
Honing listening and observational skills are keenly important to an actor.
I remember one encounter that made me think about what the medical students go through during these encounters.
Q:What experience was that? A:After working as an SP for a few months I was asked to participate in physical exams.
Part of this exercise involves a feedback session with the medical student.
During a feedback session, this student said something that showed me how vulnerable we all are.
He said, "I was really nervous because while I've practiced these procedures -- taking a pulse, listening to the heart and lungs, taking blood pressure, checking reflexes, etc.
, but I'd never done them on someone wearing a hospital gown.
It's a very different thing when you're working with a real person wearing a gown.
" Nothing embarrassing is exposed during the exams, but it never occurred to me that students had to gain a comfort level asking patients to raise or lower their gowns.
Imagine young students going into a room and seeing a lady who could be a mom, aunt, grandmother, or neighbor, and saying "please untie and lower your gown," and they've never done this before and aren't quite sure what to say or do, but have to be professional all the same.
All aspects of performing a physical examination require practice, and I would say that many of these young people are remarkably professional and poised.
I'd like to add that the administrators and trainers at GW are always cordial, professional, warm, and very welcoming.
They treat actors well and thank us for coming in when we're done.
This is great program because these are the folks who will eventually treat us when we need medical attention in the future.
We are the people they can practice on.
We're a part of their education.
We provide the practice they need so that when they go out into the world, they're ready.
-- Note:The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences Standardized Patient Program is always looking for interested individuals to participate in standardized patient (SP) projects.
For more information or program applications, contact Karen L.
Lewis, Ph.
D.
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