Drawing from some of the foremost educators in simulation medicine, the training at the NorthShore Center for Simulation and Innovation actively engages participants in the process to provide the most effective experiential learning experience. Our skilled physicians, nurses and staff have designed our training courses to teach participants correct management principals in a given scenario while encouraging continued self-discovery and training.
Task trainers teach procedural skill acquisition in a variety of areas, including but not limited to: non-invasive airway management, endotracheal intubation, surgical airways, difficult airway adjuncts, cardiac defibrillation and pacing, tube thoracostomy, central line placement, intravenous and intraosseous initiation, drug administration, lumbar puncture, birthing and ultrasound.
Deliberate practice was described by the psychologist K. Anders Ericcson as a process necessary to develop expertise. It uses a learner's intrinsic motivation to work at improving performance and providing:
- Focused instruction geared appropriately to the learner's level of training
- Immediate informative feedback and knowledge of results of their performance
- The opportunity to repeatedly perform the same or similar tasks to solidify their newly acquired skills
Simulation provides the essential components of deliberate practice. Scheduled sessions provide predictable exposure. The learners can come prepared to practice. The task trainers provide each student with a greater number of repetitions than they might otherwise receive on actual patients. An entire class is given consistent training so that their educational opportunities are not left to chance encounter in the clinical arena.
After the case, we debrief by effectively reviewing and assessing each participant's self-performance, including video playback to help participants visualize their performance. Key insights from simulation-based training are derived during this important exercise. Our goal is to leave the participant with an interest to continue to learn on their own.
We also encourage our students to learn reflective practice—the thought processes that professionals experience when they encounter a new or unexpected situation. The ability to understand how past experiences affect future practice is necessary for individuals to effectively improve their performance.