Simulation Training and Skill Assessment in Orthopedic Surgery

Excerpt

Simulation is a technique that allows one to experience and interact with mock scenarios based on real-life situations. It is both learner and patient-centered and maintains a ‘moral imperative’ by providing a safe environment in which trainees can learn from mistakes without causing harm to patients. Furthermore, simulation can facilitate deliberate practice (DP), which promotes continual concrete experiences- as described by Kolb’s four-stage learning cycle. Learning cycles require feedback to ‘close the loop’ which reinforces learning and allows the active experimentation of new ideas. The concept of learner-centered feedback is one of the most important features of simulation training.