Perspectives of a Mental Health Emergency Standardized Patient Encounter: A Follow-Up Interview of Athletic Trainers

Context: Athletic trainers should be able to recognize, refer, and provide support to patients with mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. However, clinicians may not have the opportunity to identify the signs and symptoms in an authentic scenario until a patient presents in their facility. Therefore, supplemental clinical education via standardized patient (SP) encounters may allow for an opportunity to practice mental health care in a safe manner. However, data to support if a SP encounter has a lasting effect on one's clinical practice are lacking. Objective: To reflect on a SP encounter focused on a mental health emergency (suicidal ideation) and the influence, if any, the encounter had on one's clinical practice 1.5 to 3 years following the encounter. Design: Consensual qualitative research tradition. Setting: One-on-one interview. Patients or Other Participants: Twelve graduates from the same postprofessional athletic training program (men = 6, women = 6) participated in this study. Main Outcome Measure(s): Participants completed a one-on-one interview guided by a 7-question, semistructured interview protocol. A 3-person coding team identified domains and categories. Results: Two domains emerged from the study: (1) learning experience and (2) patient approach. The learning environment created an emotionally realistic space with reassurance and collaborative learning. Specifically, the participants were able to transform their practice from errors made during the SP encounter. The SP encounter had positive, long-term effects on their clinical care including improvements in empathy, active listening, and emergency planning. Conclusions: Like other research about the longitudinal effects of SP encounters, participants applied the learning outcomes from the encounter in their clinical practice 1.5 to 3 years later. We suggest mental health SP encounters be used to prepare athletic trainers, regardless of experience, for emergency mental health crises.