Office of Medical Education

Clinical Skills Training and Assessment Center

Through innovative teaching and assessment, using Standardized Patients and state-of-the-art simulators, the goal of the University of Kentucky’s Clinical Skills Training and Assessment Center (CSTAC) is to educate health care professional students and residents, in a non-threatening environment to promote proficiency in communication skills and physical examination. The use of Standardized Patients can range from clinical instruction to formal clinical evaluation for the assessment of communication skills and clinical competencies.

CSTAC has 12 state-of-the-art clinic rooms, seven small-group rooms with computers and two large conference rooms. The Simulator Suite houses various simulators, such as "Harvey" the Cardiology Patient Simulator and the Human Simulator that will enable students and residents to practice clinical skills repeatedly. Curriculum is being developed to incorporate the use of Standardized Patients and simulators that will enable students and residents to learn how to handle emotionally charged and difficult scenarios in a competent and professional manner.