Faculty Development for Simulation Programs: Five Issues for the Future of Debriefing Training

Abstract

Debriefing is widely recognized as a critically important element of simulation-based education. Simulation educators obtain and/or seek debriefing training from various sources, including workshops at conferences, simulation educator courses, formal fellowships in debriefings, or through advanced degrees. Although there are many options available for debriefing training, little is known about how faculty development opportunities should be structured to maintain and enhance the quality of debriefing within simulation programs. In this article, we discuss 5 key issues to help shape the future of debriefing training for simulation educators, specifically the following: (1) Are we teaching the appropriate debriefing methods? (2) Are we using the appropriate methods to teach debriefing skills? (3) How can we best assess debriefing effectiveness? (4) How can peer feedback of debriefing be used to improve debriefing quality within programs? (5) How can we individualize debriefing training opportunities to the learning needs of our educators?