title: Use of actors as standardized psychiatric patients.
abstract: Using actors in simulation provides opportunities for immersive, interactive, and reflective experiences to improve health care professionals' clinical expertise and practice. These experiences facilitate the development of enhanced critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills without risks to patients. This article discusses how to integrate actors and students into simulated experiences. Examples are provided using mental health simulations with actors as standardized psychiatric patients.
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing, Birmingham, AL 35205-1210, USA. nkeltner@uab.edu
authors.forename: Norman L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Keltner
authors.forename: Joan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McLernon
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D003479:Curriculum; D004644:Emotions; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing*; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D016544:Patient Simulation; D011340:Problem Solving; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000193:education*