Resident and nurse education in pediatric intensive care unit

Abstract

In the current age of exponential increase in medical knowledge, advances in technology, and electronic data gathering, education of resident physicians and nurses in Pediatric Intensive Care is imperative. Resident physicians are spending less time caring for critically ill patients due to restricted work hours, mandatory didactics attendance and continuity clinics. Attending physicians have less protected time dedicated to education due to administrative and research demands. Nurses working in Pediatric Intensive Care are required to possess extensive clinical skills that are increasingly complex. Educators need to explore new avenues of providing training to both resident physicians and nurses. Using different modalities of simulation appears to be the most appealing solution by providing necessary training in safe and effective environment. This chapter explores several different avenues of improving education in Pediatric Intensive Care.