In this Mindworks in Conversation, Brian Saville Allard explores how skills from theatre - particularly improvisation, listening, and presence - shape effective medical education through patient simulation.
Drawing on his work training standardized patients (SPs), Saville Allard explains how simulated clinical encounters prepare learners for the reality of medicine: conversations rarely go as planned. Rather than relying on scripts or rote performance, simulation depends on adaptability, ethical boundaries, and the ability to respond truthfully in the moment.
The conversation reframes simulation not as acting, but as guided improvisation, a space where learners can make mistakes, experience uncertainty, and reflect safely before encountering real patients. Saville Allard also examines why confusion is a necessary part of learning, how psychological safety supports growth, and how debriefing can function as coaching rather than correction.
This discussion will resonate with educators, clinicians, and anyone interested in how people learn to communicate, adapt, and care under pressure.
What viewers will get from this conversation
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A clear understanding of what standardized patient simulation actually is and why it matters in medical education
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Insight into how improvisation supports listening and adaptability in real clinical encounters
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A reframing of mistakes and confusion as essential learning tools, not failures
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A practical look at ethical boundaries in simulation, including what can and cannot be improvised
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An approach to debriefing that emphasizes reflection and coaching, rather than evaluation alone
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A deeper appreciation for how presence and responsiveness shape good care
