Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Emergency Undocking in Robotic Surgery: A Simulation Curriculum
Published on: May 20, 2018
Simulation Curriculum Improves Emergency Medicine Resident Preparedness for the New American Board of Emergency
Ian Batson1, Chinezimuzo Ihenatu1, Frances Shofer2
1University of Pennsylvania, Department of Emergency Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Introduction:
In 2024, the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) announced the launch of a new certifying exam that emergency medicine (EM) residency graduates must pass to achieve specialty certification. To date, there are no comprehensive curricula published in the available literature to aid residents in exam preparation.
Methods:
In this pre-post pilot study, 44% (24/55) of postgraduate year 1 (PGY-1) through PGY-4 EM residents at a single site participated in a four-hour simulated certifying exam curriculum. Learners were asked to complete a four-point Likert scale survey rating self-reported preparedness (very unlikely - very likely) to take the ABEM Certifying Exam, as well as comfort with the ABEM tested competencies, preceding and following the simulation session.
Results:
Survey respondents (n = 21; 87.5%) reported an improvement in overall preparedness to take the ABEM Certifying Exam, yielding a pre-post mean difference score of +1.2 (1.9 [unlikely] pre to 3.1 [likely] post, P < .001). Additionally, there was an improvement in all ABEM-tested competencies; pre-post mean difference score ranged from +0.5 (3.0 pre to 3.5 post) for patient-centered communication to +1.1 (2.2 pre to 3.3 post) for clinical decision-making (P < .001 for all competencies).
Conclusion:
Given the critical need, and self-reported improvement in preparedness, EM training programs nationwide could consider incorporating a similar simulation curriculum into their didactic experience to help better prepare their learners for the new ABEM Certifying Exam.
Related Concept Videos
Emerging Adulthood
Introduction Cardiac Emergencies
Microorganisms in Medicine and Therapeutics
Applications of GIS: Disaster Management and Emergency Response
Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
Preparedness and Phobias

