Abstract
Simulated patients (SPs） play an important role in the Health Professions Education. Since the environment surrounding SPs is not easy, SP trainers need support to improve their motivation and ability to engage in ongoing activities. The aim of this study was to explore SPs' perceptions of factors influencing their motivation during activities. The subjects were 69 SPs with at least 2 years of experience who participated in the workshop. The descriptions in the work describing the transformation of motivation during SPs' activities were thematically analyzed using Self-Determination Theory. As a result, nine themes such as Autonomy: 1. Understanding one's role as SP, 2. Interest in working on new things and acquiring abilities as SP, 3. What SP activities bring to one's own life, Competence: 4. Student performance, 5. Reflection and self-evaluation of performance as SP, 6. Evaluation from others, and Relatedness: 7. Extended interaction; 8. Connections with senior and peer SPs; and 9. Collaboration among SPs, students, faculty, and trainers. These themes could be integrated into a process of internalization and these findings suggest that supporting SPs and environmental arrangements by trainers would enable SPs to be more intrinsically motivated and to perform better.
