Perioperative simulation learning and post-registration development

Competence to practise in the perioperative environment requires specialist knowledge (Gillespie and Hamlin, 2009). Newly qualified staff in this environment can experience difficulty in making the transition into practice (Stratton, 2011) and often feel overwhelmed by the skills required (Callaghan, 2010). Simulation-based learning techniques are increasingly used by practice educators specifically within these environments (Cato and Murray, 2010) to aid with acquisition of skills, emergency care delivery, general post-registration development and also as a standardised indicator of 'competence' (Bullock et al, 2008; Cato and Murray, 2010). This article will consider the impact of this educational strategy on the learner's lifelong development following registration, and its position in relation to the widely accepted learning paradigms of Benner's 'Novice to Expert' and Maslow's 'Hierarchy of Needs'. Through discussion of the nature of education in the practice setting, the reader will be prompted to reconsider the actual value of simulation-based learning in the post-registration arena and how this may be used to redefine simulation in the clinical setting.