SImulations Can Work Well in Medical Education.

There are lots of ways to teach things, but we know that to develop real expertise in a skill, they need the chance to practice and to get feedback.  One way that people can get that practice and feedback, is by simulating the work environment.  Simulations are being used more often in medical education, and they've proven to be effective, if done correctly. 

A recent review of simulations in medical education looks at some of the aspects that make learning from simulations effective.  They include:

• Feedback
• Deliberate practice
• Curriculum integration
• Outcome measurement
• Fidelity to the work environment
• A mastery learning environment
• Transfer to practice

These are the usual suspects in effective learning environments - especially practice and feedback.  We should try to incorporate these elements as often as we can when we're designing learning environments for skill learning. 

A Critical Review of Simulation-Based Medical Education Research: 2003 - 2009, Medical Education, 2010, 44:50-63.