Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice: Application to Adult Advanced Life Support

This curriculum includes three in-person simulation cases for Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) training using the rapid cycle deliberate practice (RCDP) technique. RCDP is a model for simulation-based medical education (SBME) that provides frequent feedback and opportunities to practice techniques until learning is cemented. The intent of these cases was to improve teamwork and communication, role designation, defibrillator operation, leadership, and clinical treatment of cardiac emergencies.

Each case provided an ACLS scenario for an adult patient in the postanesthesia care unit setting. The curriculum required high-fidelity mannequins and instructors trained to provide SBME through RCDP. Learners worked in teams and were expected to perform appropriate steps per the ACLS algorithm, with facilitators pausing learners and providing expert feedback and opportunities for deliberate practice throughout.

Eighty-four postgraduate year 2 anesthesiology residents participated in the simulation curriculum over eight course offerings. Facilitators noted improved communication and teamwork among participants, as well as more accurate and effective defibrillator use. Feedback from learners was positive and indicated that they believed the experience would improve their clinical performance.

This curriculum provides instruction on using the RCDP variant of SBME to prepare health care providers to deliver effective care in situations necessitating ACLS. Because RCDP allows for repeated iterations of the same skill, knowledge can be cemented and muscle memory created. Given the positive feedback, we believe the curriculum can provide an effective framework for ACLS reinforcement through RCDP implementation across multiple types of learners and institutions.