Best Practices and Theoretical Foundations for Simulation Instruction Using Rapid-Cycle Deliberate Practice

Rapid-cycle deliberate practice (RCDP) is a learner-centered simulation instructional strategy that identifies performance gaps and targets feedback to improve individual or team deficiencies. Learners have multiple opportunities to practice observational, deductive, decision-making, psychomotor, and crisis resource management skills. As its implementation grows, simulationists need to have a shared mental model of RCDP to build high-quality RCDP-based initiatives. To compare and make general inferences from RCDP data, each training needs to follow a similar structure. This article seeks to describe the fundamentals of RCDP, including essential components and potential variants. We also summarize the current published evidence regarding RCDP's effectiveness. This article serves to create a shared understanding of RCDP, provide clear definitions and classifications for RCDP research, and provide options for future RCDP investigation.