Second Act
Yvonne Caro Caro is starring on a very different kind of stage to shape the physicians of the future
Read the full article in UCLA Magazine
UCLA Magazine recently featured Yvonne Caro Caro, Senior Standardized Patient Educator at the UCLA Simulation Center, in its article, “Second Act.” Yvonne has been an integral part of our Standardized Patient (SP) Program since its early years. Shortly after earning her MFA from UCLA's School of Theater, Film, and Television in 1998, she joined the Sim Center as one of its first SP actors, bringing her extensive background in theater and performance to medical education. Since becoming a full time SP Educator in 2006, she has recruited, trained, and prepared hundreds of other SPs to portray a range of roles in realistic clinical scenarios, helping create meaningful learning experiences where medical students strengthen their clinical skills, communication, empathy, and patient-centered care.
The article offers a behind-the-scenes look at the SP Program, highlighting the role of SPs in medical education and exploring how they collaborate with educators to teach and train a wide range of learners including medical students, residents, and other healthcare professionals. The article explores Yvonne's approach to medical education after her many years as an SP Educator, particularly her emphasis on fostering a safe, collaborative learning environment where SPs serve as partners to help learners improve.
We congratulate Yvonne on this well-deserved recognition and are proud to celebrate her nearly three decades of service and contributions to our center and the broader medical education community.
