No longer waiting for an accident to happen: Simulation in emergency medicine.

The practice of emergency medicine (EM) requires proficient and expert skills in multiple high risk procedures. The emergency physician in-training needs a safe and realistic environment in which to practice and perfect the skills necessary to care for patients ranging from the critically ill to the patient with difficult intravenous access. Undergraduate medical, education overall has a need for training that enables students to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to practice in a variety of specialties. This article provides an overview of simulation in a three-year emergency medicine residency at Truman Medical Center, in a required final year clerkship for all medical students at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and discusses national trends for the use of simulation in emergency medicine.