Simulation in healthcare and nursing: state of the science.

The face of nursing education and continuing education as we currently know it is changing at a phenomenal pace. The state of the science of simulation in nursing and healthcare exist on a continuum of various types of simulation. Several driving forces have influenced the development and diffusion of the science of simulation. Today's consumers of education have higher expectations for curricula. Healthcare is evolving with fewer resources and more complex roles. Advancing technology is creating a dependence on simulation as a teaching and learning strategy. Society in general, in the form of both public and professional organizations, supports simulation as a viable teaching and learning strategy. Current use and future research will decide the fate of simulation and if it will become embedded in nursing and healthcare education.