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Experience Curves as an Organizing Framework for Deliberate Practice in Emergency Medicine Learning
Author(s) -
Pusic Martin V.,
Kessler David,
Szyld Demian,
Kalet Adina,
Pecaric Martin,
Boutis Kathy
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
academic emergency medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.221
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1553-2712
pISSN - 1069-6563
DOI - 10.1111/acem.12043
Subject(s) - forgetting , learning curve , competence (human resources) , medicine , representation (politics) , dreyfus model of skill acquisition , medical education , cognitive psychology , psychology , social psychology , computer science , politics , political science , law , economics , economic growth , operating system
Abstract Deliberate practice is an important skill‐training strategy in emergency medicine ( EM ) education. Learning curves display the relationship between practice and proficiency. Forgetting curves show the opposite, and demonstrate how skill decays over time when it is not reinforced. Using examples of published studies of deliberate practice in EM we list the properties of learning and forgetting curves and suggest how they can be combined to create experience curves: a longitudinal representation of the relationship between practice, skill acquisition, and decay over time. This framework makes explicit the need to avoid a piecemeal, episodic approach to skill practice and assessment in favor of more emphasis on what can be done to improve durability of competence over time. The authors highlight the implications for both educators and education researchers.