Simulation

As part of our education, we participate regularly in simulation exercises. I remember my first simulator experience; I felt out of place, anxious, and unsure. Simulations are essential to anesthesia training because they test rare yet critical diseases, reactions, and situations. It's possible to go through residency without seeing anaphylaxis but very likely that we will see it during our career. While it is easy to study and prepare for diseases like anaphylaxis, some situations like power failure or mass casualty trauma are much better learned through hands-on practice.

This last simulation, at the end of residency, we were thrown much more challenging situations, ones that pushed our medical knowledge and technical ability. But even more importantly, these simulation exercises forced us to take leadership, adapt to changes, work as a team, and manage a crisis. The real value of simulation is in developing this skills that aren't easily gleaned from a textbook. When I think of my education, I do think most of it happens at the bedside, but I'm glad our program recognizes specific aspects that are best taught with other methodologies.