Patient simulation: An adjunct to the oral examination

INTRODUCTION: Anesthesiologists increasingly regard realistic patient simulators as invaluable educational and research tools for the study of human performance. However, their use in the assessment of residents’ performance and competence is controversial. Concerns regarding the reliability, the validity, and the “added value” of simulator-based examinations over traditional examinations have not been adequately addressed (1). The present study investigated the potential for assessing clinical performance of senior anesthesia residents with a simulator as compared with the traditional oral examination.