Education of trainees in the intensive care unit.

The focus on improving education in critical care medicine must begin early in medical school training and further be promoted during residency if there is to be an increase in intensivists in the hospital workforce. This is "critical" to healthcare reform movements that are endorsing full-time critical care coverage in U.S. urban intensive care units. There is, therefore, a need for more novel approaches in educating trainees in critical care medicine to better prepare future physicians to manage acutely ill patients and improve patient safety. This article will review methods to improve educational designs in teaching critical care medicine to medical students, residents, and fellows, including the use of simulation technology to enhance cognition and procedural skills.