The Role of Simulation-Based Medical Education in Surgical Training.

Given the unique demands placed on surgical trainees, residency directors and surgical mentors have looked to simulation-based medical education (SBME) to educate the next generation of hand surgeons. A wide range of SBME training tools have been developed to encapsulate the breadth of skills medical trainees must master. Numerous studies within general surgery, plastic surgery, and orthopedic surgery have evaluated the effectiveness of SBME and improvements in surgical skills among the surgical learners. In the future, SBME will allow for standardization of medical training with objective measurements of trainees as they ascend toward clinical and surgical independence.