Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice in Medical Simulation

Simulation has become a standard educational practice across medical training programs. Traditionally, the scenario is run one time with a subsequent debriefing of the learners by faculty. The post-simulation debrief is a facilitated discussion and reflection where the majority of the learning takes place. Typically, learners are expected to be able to apply the knowledge learned during the debrief to the next real patient scenario that they encounter. However, the timing of the encounter with an actual patient with the same clinical scenario can be unpredictable. Knowledge attrition over time could impact the learner's ability to apply knowledge learned during the simulation. Traditional post-simulation feedback methods may not be the strongest model for giving the learner a timely opportunity to apply their knowledge. Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice (RCDP), on the other hand, is a simulation-based technique that differs from traditional simulation practices. It involves learners repetitiously performing a simulation with micro-debriefs interjected by the faculty. Compared to traditional post-simulation feedback, the provided feedback sessions are more frequent and can be more succinct.[1] Incorporation of this feedback allows for continuous improvement upon each iterative cycle in a dynamic learning process. This timely application of feedback and the repetitive process differs from traditional simulation educational methods and may help combat knowledge attrition.