Adopt competency-based, outcome-targeted simulation training rather than merely allocating simulation time¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 3 claims (1 for, 2 mixed) · 1 study (1 quant-synthesis), q3 · 1 of 1 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Based on its findings, the review advocates adoption of competency-based simulation training methods for procedural skills, emphasizing that "merely allocating time for simulation in training programs is not sufficient to guarantee effective learning or skill acquisition". It recommends strategies focused on targeted, outcome-based training with defined competency thresholds, baseline assessment, feedback, and consequences such as additional training when the threshold is not met.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• a baseline measure of skill performance, a simulation training intervention, and a clearly defined competency threshold

Constraints¶

• Evidence for transfer to clinical behaviors and patient outcomes remains scarce, so adoption claims rest mainly on simulation-setting skill outcomes

Target Learners¶

• medical students
• physicians in postgraduate training
• nurses and other health professionals learning procedural skills

Target Learning Goals¶

• procedural and psychomotor skill competence verified against a competency standard

Claims¶

• Competency-based simulation training outperforms noncompetency-based simulation for procedural skill outcomes in health professionals (moderate pooled effect) [+W]
• Competency-based simulation effects are large for skills measured in the simulation lab but small and non-significant for clinical behaviors and patient outcomes [~W]
• Training-time ratio moderates the competency-based simulation advantage: large effects when competency training takes less time, non-significant when it takes more [~W]

Related Strategies¶

• Simulation Based Learning
• Incorporate VR-based simulation training into spine surgery residency curricula as an adjunct to traditional methods
• Adopt standardized, competency-based frameworks that align instructional content and assessment strategies with clearly defined clinical outcomes

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Vermylen JH, Cohen ER, Cook DA, McGaghie WC, Issenberg SB, Arnold J, Ballard H, Bayoumi M, Beestrum M, Bremner R, Crawford S, Einstein N, Mannarino C, Misra A, Tomita TM, Waldron H, Yanko F, Kessler DO. (2026). Competency-Based Simulation Training for Procedural Skills: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Simulation in Healthcare. https://doi.org/10.1097/SIH.0000000000000895