GlossaryGuide

Etym. task (n.) early 14c., “a quantity of labor imposed as a duty,” from Old North French tasque (12c., Old French tasche, Modern French tâche). General sense of “any piece of work that has to be done” is first recorded 1590s.

Etym. trainer (n.) c. 1600, “one who educates or instructs,”agent noun from train (v.). Meaning “one who prepares another for feats requiring physical fitness” is from 1823, originally of horse trainers.

Definition

• A device designed to train in just the key elements of the procedure or skill being learned, such as lumbar puncture, chest tube insertion, central line insertion or part of a total system, for example, ECG simulator (Center for Immersive and Simulation Based Learning; Levine et al, 2013).

• A model that represents a part or region of the human body such as an arm, or an abdomen. Such devices may use mechanical or electronic interfaces to teach and give feedback on manual skills such as IV insertion, ultrasound scanning, suturing, etc. Generally used to support procedural skills training; however they can be used in conjunction with other learning technologies to create integrated clinical situations (Australian Society for Simulation in Healthcare).

See also: PROCEDURAL SIMULATION, SIMULATOR