What is Simulation?

Sim.u.la.tion

1. Training that affords participants the opportunity for repeated practice of psychomotor skills while familiarizing themselves with instruments and equipment, gaining experience in recognizing problems, developing decisions making skills, refining technique and procedures, and experiencing relatively rare medical conditions.

The aviation industry has long recognized that training, performance, and safety could be enhanced by the use of flight simulator to rehearse and practice a wide variety of flight emergencies and to gain proficiency in the use of specific aircraft and equipment. Flight simulators closely approximate in-flight situations, and the airline industry has demonstrated that this training method improves pilot skills.

The same technologies  that enable airline pilots to practice procedures in a controlled environment have now been applied to patient simulators. Increasingly  more common in healthcare settings, simulation is being recognized as an integral component of pre-clinical and clinical education.

Medical simulation has been developed to bridge the gap between traditional training methods, such as classroom instruction, and provides the ability to present "clinical situations" of varying  complexities in a predictable and deliberate manner. Participants have the opportunity to experience common as well as high-acuity, low-frequency clinical events in a realistic environment without putting themselves or actual patients at risk.