*Hundreds of people from all over wrote to me to find out where these jobs are. Please view my video podcast, Episode 13, for more information:

I'm always on the lookout for interesting careers and jobs that I can tell you about--especially ones that incorporate the requisite that many of you say you want: doing something meaningful. Here's one job that fits the bill on that and other fronts too: Standardized Patient (SP).

These are people who are carefully trained to "portray patients during an interview and physical examination with a medical student or doctor in training," says The Journal of the American Medical Association.

As an SP, your job is to pretend you have certain medical history, emotions and symptoms, then study and rehearse and act out your given scenario with a medical student. You're supposed to be so good at simulating the actual patient, the aspiring doctor wouldn't know you're acting.

You could be asked to act out various scenarios from a hypertension case, to diabetes or asthma. You're given your profile, whether "you're married, have siblings, on drugs or you smoke," explains Carol Trent, Administrator at the Dr. Robert and Dorothy Rector Clinical Skills Center, Thomas Jefferson Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Whatever your ailment, "You're taught what type of exam you should get to be able to evaluate how the medical student does in the exam."

So you not only have to be good at giving verbal feedback, you must be good on the computer. Because after your exam, you'll give feedback to evaluate the student, says Trent.

What's so great about that job, you ask? For one, you're contributing to the world in a meaningful way by helping further the education of future doctors which hopefully, will help make for more communicative, thorough and overall, better health care providers. Plus, the job offers something else many of you want: part-time hours so you can still have a life or another job, challenge and appreciation. It can also be fun.

The use of SPs began in the mid 1960's but seems to be picking up speed in recent years. There's even an association for SP educators--the Association of Standardized Patient Educators.

"Many graduates of medical schools across the country report they that they left school without ever being observed taking a medical history or performing a physical exam on a patient," according to Stanford School of Medicine's Web site. The SP program helps students develop these essential skills.

Qualifications include the ability to act and retain information and good communications skills, says Trent. But most importantly, she looks for people who are interested in medical education, can teach students and "love working with students."

As a general rule you'd be involved in non-invasive exams. But at Jefferson they also look for women willing to undergo pelvic exams.

Besides medical students, Jefferson's program trains nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants to conduct non-invasive exams. They also use Noelle, a mannequin, to deliver babies and Harvey, a cardiovascular mannequin--but there's nothing like the real thing.

She has a pool of 90 SPs and waiting list of 70 people. It's not a full-time job, so most likely, wouldn't be your main source of income. You might work two or 10 hours a day or not for two months. Jefferson has employed kids as young as 10 and adults as old as 89. Pay varies. The Ohio State University College of Medicine pays $10 per hour of training and $12 per hour for exam performance. Jefferson pays between $18 and $20 per hour.

Trent says she hires people from all walks of life--mothers who want to earn extra money, folks with evening jobs who can work days and actors who want to supplement income. If you want to further health care and don't mind being in a hospital gown the whole time, it might be just a good gig.

© by Andrea Kay