Educational science meets simulation

With the increased use of simulation to teach the knowledge and skills demanded of clinical practice, toward the achievement of optimal patient care outcomes, it becomes increasingly important that clinician educators have fundamental knowledge about educational science and its applications to teaching and learning. As the foremost goal of teaching is to facilitate learning, it is essential that the simulation experience be oriented to the learning process. In order for this to occur, is it necessary for the clinician educator to understand the fundamentals of educational science and theories of education such that they can apply them to teaching and learning in an environment focused on medical simulation. Underscoring the rationale for the fundamentals of educational science to be applied to the simulation environment, and to work in tandem with simulation, is the importance that accurate and appropriate information is retained and applied toward establishing competence in essential practice-based skills and procedures.