Simulation in cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia education: tool or toy?

The use of simulators in cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia runs the gamut from standardized patients and part-task trainers to full-scale high-fidelity human patient simulators. The use of simulation to teach medical students, anesthesiology residents, board-certified anesthesiologists with subspecialty interests, hospital administrators, attorneys, and the lay public is still evolving as educational research evaluates the use of simulation and health professional educators struggle to define its role and value. This article provides a general overview of the field and attempts to critically evaluate what is and what is not scientifically determined about simulation and simulators.