Actors Needed for Medical Communication Training

About the project and the company

The Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence is a University of Washington-affiliated center with the mission of improving palliative care for all people with serious illness and their families by integrating research, education and clinical care.

The education arm of the CPCCE teaches communication skills to clinicians and trainees who work with patients using a methodology called “VitalTalk.” We hire actors to portray patients or family members of patients, allowing course participants to practice serious illness communication skills in a high-fidelity simulated environment.

Skills taught to clinicians participating in these trainings include responding to emotion, eliciting a patients’ background and hopes for the future, and making a recommendation about types of medical care. There are no physical exams or simulated medical procedures. Trainings last at least two hours; some recur monthly and others yearly. 

Job Description

We are looking for experienced actors with strong improvisational skills to participate in periodic serious illness training who can respond to participants’ skilled and unskilled communication in real time. Actors are provided with a patient or family member’s backstory and are trained by one of our experienced teachers.

Required Qualifications

Ability to show a full range of emotions in response to participant’s cues in real time Availability for in-person trainings during business hours in the Seattle Area (most are at University of Washington-Montlake Campus or Harborview Medical Center). Paid preparatory meetings will be held virtually. There may be an opportunity to do virtual trainings if you are hired for in-person trainings (we are not currently hiring actors who live outside of the greater Seattle area or who are not able to work in person) Willingness to adhere to the vaccination and masking requirements of the University of Washington

Desired Qualifications

Actors with teaching experience or experience in other types of communication skills training have particularly thrived in this role.

Other details

Audition location: no formal audition, but there will be brief interviews by videoconference.