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

## TL;DR

This paper outlines best practice standards for Physical Examination Teaching Associates (PETAs) to improve the teaching of physical exams in healthcare education.

## Contribution

The paper introduces revised, PETA-specific Standards of Best Practice developed through expert consensus using the Delphi method.

## Key findings

- The ASPE PETA Standards of Best Practice were developed with input from thirteen international PETA methodology experts.
- The revised standards include five Domains, Principles, and Practices tailored to PETA programs.
- The standards aim to provide flexibility for diverse program contexts while maintaining quality and consistency in PETA practice.

## Abstract

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.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41077-025-00373-z.