Texas Chiropractic College's assessment center is a 4,000-square foot, state-of-the-art training center designed to enhance the training of doctors of chiropractic. At the core of the center are eight simulated treatment rooms. Each room contains typical furnishings and equipment found in most doctors’ offices with a few added extras such as private observation areas and the incorporation of video technology.
While the facilities are essential to the operations of the Assessment Center, the heart of the center is the standardized patients.
Standardized patients are professional individuals trained to portray a cadre’ of conditions often encountered in practice. Their job is to realistically present various aspects of a specific case while in the room with the student. The student then has an opportunity to utilize various interview techniques and examination skills ultimately leading to making clinical decisions in a controlled environment.
Exposure to standardized patients begins during the student’s second trimester and continues until graduation. By the time a student reaches their clinical experience at TCC they have been involved in more than 40 standardized patient encounters and that number exceeds 50 before they graduate. This takes the process of learning far beyond the classroom environment.
The most beneficial aspect of the center is the digital video capabilities it offers. Every patient encounter experienced by the student is captured on video. These videos, along with comments from the patients and observing faculty, are made available to the students via the internet for review. This allows the student to focus in on their strengths and learn from their mistakes.
The center has several support areas such as waiting area for students, changing rooms with lockers for patients, room for conference and consultation and an observation hall around the perimeter of the assessment rooms to allow for faculty observation of student patient encounters.