Progress in simulation education: developing an anesthesia curriculum

Simulation's role in anesthesia education is expanding to include more advanced skills and training for subspecialty practice. This review will provide an overview of many recent studies that expand the simulation curriculum for anesthesia education.

Recent studies describe a curriculum that uses a range of simulation modalities, including part-task trainers, mannequin-based simulation, virtual reality, in-situ techniques, screen-based simulations as well as encounters with 'standardized' patients, nurses or physician colleagues. A variety of studies describe the use of task-training devises to more effectively acquire skills, such as fibre-optic intubation, ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia and transthoracic echocardiography as well as expand on a variety of teamwork skills particularly in subspecialty anesthesia practice.

A curriculum is emerging that utilizes a variety of simulation modalities as part of a more comprehensive educational strategy for anesthesia specialty training.