Association of SP Educators (ASPE) Physical Examination Teaching Associate (PETA) Standards of Best Practice (SOBP)

Physical Examination Teaching Associates (PETAs) instruct healthcare professional learners to perform accurate and respectful physical examinations. PETAs are trained to teach physical examination techniques to learners in a standardized manner while providing ongoing feedback to the learner based on the PETA's experience receiving the examination with their own body. While PETAs fall under the broad umbrella of standardized/simulated patient/participant (SP) methodology, their distinct role necessitates specific Standards of Best Practice (SOBP) tailored to PETA programs. To address this need, the Association of SP Educators (ASPE) used the Delphi process, involving thirteen PETA methodology experts from four countries. The five Domains of the ASPE SOBP as well as the accompanying Principles and Practices were revised to align with the needs of PETA programs. There were modifications to terms and content to reflect the unique scope of PETA practice. The ASPE PETA SOBP is designed for programs where PETAs are involved in formative instructional sessions with learners. As with the prior ASPE SOBP, this aspirational document provides flexibility to adapt to diverse program contexts and will continue to evolve.