Association of Standardized Patient Educators

What Association of Standardized Patient Educators does

The Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) is a US-based non-profit professional membership association founded around 2001 and headquartered in Altamonte Springs, Florida, that serves as the dedicated global body for standardized patient (SP) educators in healthcare education. It offers four Special Interest Groups (GTA/MUTA, Hybrid, Interprofessional Education, SPs Beyond Healthcare), an awards and recognition program, and an accreditation framework that has credentialed 18 SP programs across institutions in the US, France, Turkey, and elsewhere. Its core product surface is built around a methodology corpus — the Standards of Best Practice, the Case Development Template (originally 2017, refreshed for 2025), the Center for SP Methodology (launched 2021), the Certificate Exam, the Scholars Certificate Program, and the Core Curriculum — supported by a member-only listserv, the ASPE Thrive Community platform, an annual conference, a Women in Leadership Symposium, and a freemium webinar program.

ASPE operates a membership-based business model with subscription revenue from annual individual and institutional dues, transaction revenue from conference and event fees, a freemium funnel via free live webinars (with recordings gated to members), and accreditation fees from SP programs. Distribution is primarily direct via the aspeducators.org website on the MemberClicks platform, supplemented by community-led growth through SIGs, mentorship, awards, and content marketing via the ASPE e-News Blog and social channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram). The organization is governed by a member-elected Board of Directors and affiliated with peer bodies including the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSIH), the Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPiH), and the Simulation Interoperability Standards Foundation (SISF).

Name

Association of Standardized Patient Educators

Legal name

Association of SP Educators

Website

https://aspeducators.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Simulation Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Credentialing, Certification Prep & Exam Training (BPACANAJ)

Keywords

• Standardized patient education
• Healthcare simulation standards
• Professional association membership
• SP program accreditation
• Clinical skills assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Altamonte Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ASPE generates revenue through annual membership dues, which provide access to member-only benefits including the listserv, webinars archive, resources, and networking opportunities.
2. Conference and Event Fees: Revenue from annual conferences and virtual events including the Women in Leadership Symposium, which offer educational sessions and networking opportunities.
3. Webinars: Live webinars are provided free for both members and non-members, serving as a membership recruitment tool and community resource. Recordings are a member-only benefit.
4. Accreditation Services: ASPE provides accreditation for SP programs, which likely contributes to organizational revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ASPE is a nonprofit professional membership association that provides standards, resources, accreditation, certification, and a professional community for educators who work with standardized patients (SPs) in healthcare simulation training. Its core deliverables include the copyrighted Standards of Best Practice and Case Development Template, an SP program accreditation service, the Certificate Exam and Scholars Certificate Program, and ongoing professional development through webinars, conferences, mentorship, and Special Interest Groups serving medical schools, nursing programs, and clinical skills assessment centers globally.

Product overview

The Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) is a professional membership organization that serves as a central hub for SP educators through a unified platform of resources, tools, and programs. The core offerings include the ASPE Case Development Template (a comprehensive scaffold for case development created in 2017 and updated annually), Standards of Best Practice (the foundational guidelines), and the Center for SP Methodology (a resource center launched in 2021). Supporting products include ASPE Webinars (live free webinars with member-only recordings), ASPE e-News Blog (launched 2017 as a content archive), the Accreditation Program, Certificate Exam, Core Curriculum, Scholars Certificate Program, Modules Project, ASPE Listserv (member networking), ASPE Mentors Program, and Research/Award programs. The ASPE Thrive Community provides social networking capabilities for members. The organization also hosts annual conferences with Best Practices Workshops and the Howard Barrows Invited Presenter Award.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ASPE Membership Annual subscription membership for individual SP educators and institutions, providing access to the listserv, webinars archive, case development resources, networking, and the broader ASPE community.
• Standards of Best Practice (SOBPs) Copyrighted published guidelines that provide the foundational framework for protecting learners, standardized patients, and faculty during simulation with SPs.
• ASPE Case Development Template Copyrighted comprehensive template for SP educators to develop standardized case scenarios, updated annually; use is permitted for educational purposes with attribution, with commercial use requiring written permission.
• Center for SP Methodology Central resource hub providing SP educators with methodology guidance, tools, and best practices for implementing standardized patient simulation.
• ASPE Accreditation Program Accreditation service for SP programs at healthcare education institutions, providing external validation of program quality against ASPE standards.
• Certificate Exam Certification examination for SP educators to demonstrate competency in standardized patient methodology, with credentialing information aligned to ssih.org/CHSE.
• Scholars Certificate Program Structured professional development certification program for SP educators pursuing deeper competency in SP methodology.
• Core Curriculum Structured educational curriculum resources supporting professional development in standardized patient education.
• Modules Project Educational modules designed for SP educator professional development, used to extend training beyond the Core Curriculum.
• ASPE Webinars Live online seminars on SP methodology topics, typically one hour long with presentations and discussions; recordings are a member-only benefit.
• ASPE Annual Conference Annual conference offering keynotes, workshops, poster sessions, networking, and professional development for SP educators; held in-person with virtual options.
• ASPE Mentors Program Mentorship program pairing experienced SP educators with newer professionals for guidance and career development.
• Virtual Library / Virtual Learning Center Digital repository hosted on the MemberClicks learning platform providing members with access to archived webinars, educational content, and resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18 ASPE accredited SP programs globally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• University of WashingtonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Washington hosts an SP Trainer Listserv which ASPE members can subscribe to through their member profiles, providing additional professional networking infrastructure for the SP educator community.
• Simulation Interoperability Standards Foundation (SISF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASPE is affiliated with association organizations in healthcare simulation, referencing the Healthcare Simulation Dictionary and collaborative standards development.
• Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSIH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASPE links to CHSE (Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator) certification through ssih.org, indicating collaborative certification and professional development alignment.
• Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPiH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASPE maintains international partnerships with organizations like ASPiH, promoting global collaboration in simulation education and sharing conference opportunities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC): AAMC represents US medical schools and sets curriculum and assessment standards that incorporate SP-based clinical skills exams. Comparable as a broad professional body whose institutional members overlap significantly with ASPE's accredited programs and member institutions.
• American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN): AACN is the national voice for baccalaureate and graduate nursing education and influences standards, certification, and curriculum across US nursing schools—many of which run SP programs. Comparable as a broader professional association whose members are downstream customers/users of ASPE's standards and accreditation.
• Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE): AMEE is an international association for medical education that hosts the annual AMEE conference and publishes MedEdPublish. Comparable as a broader professional association serving medical educators with overlapping membership with SP program directors in international institutions.

Direct peers

• Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSIH): SSIH is the largest professional society for healthcare simulation, offering the CHSE (Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator) credential that ASPE itself references. It is directly comparable as a membership association serving healthcare simulation professionals, though with broader scope than ASPE's SP-specific focus.
• Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPiH): ASPiH is the UK-based professional association for healthcare simulation practitioners, partnering with ASPE on conference promotion and standards. Directly comparable as a sister simulation-focused membership body serving educators and practitioners in the same methodology space.
• International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL): INACSL is a professional membership organization dedicated to clinical simulation learning with emphasis on standards (INACSL Standards of Best Practice) and certification. Directly comparable to ASPE in mission, governance structure, and standards-setting role, though focused on nursing simulation rather than SP methodology broadly.
• Society in Europe for Simulation Applied to Medicine (SESAM): SESAM is the European society for simulation in healthcare, offering membership, conferences, and accreditation support analogous to ASPE. Comparable as a regional professional association serving simulation educators, though at the continental rather than US-headquartered level.
• Simulation Interoperability Standards Foundation (SISF): SISF collaborates with ASPE on the Healthcare Simulation Dictionary and standards development. Comparable as a peer standards-setting organization in the healthcare simulation ecosystem with overlapping educator-facing resources.

Others

• Laerdal Medical: Laerdal is a leading provider of simulation equipment and programs including SimMan and standardized patient training solutions. Comparable as a healthcare simulation ecosystem participant supplying the infrastructure that SP programs use, though a vendor rather than a peer professional association.
• CAE Healthcare: CAE Healthcare provides simulation-based training solutions and operates the CAE Healthcare Academy for educator development. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem player supporting simulation educators with technology and training programs that complement ASPE's professional development offerings.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ASPE_Tweets
• Facebookfacebook.com/aspeducators
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-of-sp-educators
• Instagraminstagram.com/aspeducators

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Association of Standardized Patient Educators