Teaching Using Simulation

Normal experiential learning that leads to an expert professional in clinical practice is associated with prolonged exposure to that practice. The overriding idea is that by simulating clinical scenarios, learning is accelerated by the debriefing/feedback session. The expert knowledge is made explicit to the trainee and reinforced with video and verbal feedback. Definition Simulate: Latin simulare Produce a convincing recreation of real-life event or set of conditions. Prepare students to cope with future roles. Provide practice in a safe environment with no risk to patient or student. Test/challenge trainee's technical and decision-making skills during realistic patient care situations. Be an assessment tool. Lead to standardized teaching. Interpersonal and communication skills. Critical thinking and decision-making skills. Practical skills. The use of equipment. The Best evidence medical education (BEME) collaboration is an international group of individuals, Universities and organisations committed to the promotion of best evidence medical education. They formed a topic group in 2002 that addressed the question: " What are the features/aspects of high fidelity simulators that lead to most effective learning? " 1. Feedback The absence of learner feedback was the greatest single factor for ineffective simulation training. The lack of feedback could lead to: a. Learning of the wrong learning objective. b. Not realising what the desired behaviours should be by not focusing on them. c. Not transferring skills to clinical practice. d. Spending increasing time on only one aspect of training. 2. Practice A lack of opportunity for practice is also associated with a poor educational outcome. This could often be attributed to insufficient access to the simulator,