Overview
AI-powered patient simulators transform physiotherapy education by providing accessible, flexible practice opportunities through interactive verbal role-play scenarios. This assessment model combines artificial intelligence avatars with traditional clinical training, allowing students to develop essential communication and clinical reasoning skills through consistent patient interactions available 24/7. By integrating immediate AI feedback with academic supervision when used in the class setting, this approach offers cost-effective skill development that complements face-to-face patient interaction opportunities in clinical education.
Kate Gray
Faculty of Health Sciences
About my unit: Faculty of Health Sciences | Under 50 students | Hybrid | Individual work
Kate Gray, Clinical Coordinator from Curtin University’s School of Allied Health – Physiotherapy, shares her innovative approach to assessing physiotherapy students through AI-powered conversational agent interactions. This Lane 2 assessment introduces students to “Michael,” an AI avatar patient simulator designed with a slightly cranky but fundamentally cooperative personality seeking quick recovery advice.
Students engage in verbal role-play scenarios with the conversational agent, practicing clinical communication and reasoning skills in a flexible, accessible environment. Initially hesitant, students quickly recognise the value of having consistent practice opportunities available around the clock, complementing traditional learning methods with cost-effective simulation experiences. The assessment is evolving toward a hybrid evaluation model combining AI-generated objective feedback with nuanced academic supervision and/or peer feedback, providing students dual perspectives on their clinical performance. This collaborative development required dedicated team planning and industry partnerships, creating transformative learning experiences that prepare students for professional practice while demonstrating the integration of technology in healthcare delivery.
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