Simulation in Medical Education

Abstract

Simulation-based medical education is a rapidly growing field, as is illustrated by the increased development of simulation centers worldwide. Simulation is becoming a powerful force in addressing the need to increase patient safety through quality-care training, it serves as clinical scene without the risk of distressing patients or encountering other harmful aspects of learning on real patients. Advances in medical simulation technology along with other unfolding trends have started to shift research attention to the performance component of clinical competency. Simulation is gaining a central role in Medical education and has shifted, out of necessity, from traditional apprenticeship to more directed clinical skills training. Simulation helps the physician in the acquisition of medical skills and promotes the education within the context of patient safety; it offers a controlled environment for teaching and learning in simulators with real scenarios for medical students in which they acquire abilities for professional practice. This article provides a conceptual overview of simulation, its development, characteristics, the advantages of this educational tool and several studies in this field are discussed.