Previous methods for teaching genital examinations to nurse practitioner students enrolled in a laboratory portion of an advanced health assessment course have included videotapes, plastic models for both male and female genital examinations, and voluntary examinations of a classmate for the female exam.

Standardardized patients are specially trained consumers who teach physical examination techniques during the student’s performance of the examination. Medical schools have successfully used these patients to teach physical assessment.

The purpose of this study was to determine if standardized patients were the best method for graduate nurse practitioner students to learn genital examinations in comparison to previous teaching methods.

Presented April 21, 2004, at National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty National Meeting, San Diego, CA.