Table 3 Cumulative experiences

• Being a simulated patient – experiential, emotional, interpersonal interaction.

• Having been a simulated patient – the prior experience and expertise that is retained.

• Being a repeated simulated patient in the same role in different communication teaching sessions that are happening concurrently.

• Being both a participant and an observer – characterised as the ‘third eye’ where simulated patients’ continually mentally retain key communication aspects to recall in their feedback.

• Giving in-role feedback – demonstration of raw emotion and an insight into the character of the patient.

• Giving out-of-role feedback – providing constructive feedback from the patient’s perspective.

• Being a real patient – utilising personal experiences when portraying characters.

• Helping students experience particular teachable moments – understanding the learning objectives of the session, interpreting patient scripts and accurate prompting and probing.

• Assessing as a simulated patient – the process of ensuring and maintaining standardisation.