Virtual Patients (VP) are computer-based interactive narratives and simulations where the user plays the part of a healthcare provider as an educational exercise. Case-based learning is the underlying pedagogy but design and implementation vary greatly across institutions. International organizations have recently developed standards for sharing and reuse of VP and repositories of VP cases. The leaders of this workshop represent schools and programs who have successfully implemented VPs for medical student, resident and continuing education.

Sessions leaders will review various approaches to designing, writing and implementing virtual patients in a health science curriculum. They will share their positive and negative experiences designing and implementing VPs at their institutions and review examples from around the world. Attendees will participate in a hands-on exercise designing a VP based curriculum. A discussion will follow where varying approaches to VP design and use are critiqued and debated.

Attendees will be able to

1. Select VP model to meet educational needs.

2. Identify existing software applications for VP development and use

4. Develop a plan to create and implement VPs in their own institutions

5. Utilize published virtual patient standards and repositories to share and exchange VPs