Deliberate Practice and Acquisition of Expert Performance: A General Overview

K. Anders Ericsson PhD,

K. Anders Ericsson PhD

From the Department of Psychology Florida State University, Florida, Tallahassee, FL.

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K. Anders Ericsson PhD,

K. Anders Ericsson PhD

From the Department of Psychology Florida State University, Florida, Tallahassee, FL.

Search for more papers by this author

First published: 03 November 2008

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1553-2712.2008.00227.x

Citations: 1,176

Address for correspondence and reprints: K. Anders Ericsson, PhD; e-mail: [email protected].

Presented at the 2008 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference, “The Science of Simulation in Healthcare: Defining and Developing Clinical Expertise,” Washington, DC, May 28, 2008.

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Abstract

Traditionally, professional expertise has been judged by length of experience, reputation, and perceived mastery of knowledge and skill. Unfortunately, recent research demonstrates only a weak relationship between these indicators of expertise and actual, observed performance. In fact, observed performance does not necessarily correlate with greater professional experience. Expert performance can, however, be traced to active engagement in deliberate practice (DP), where training (often designed and arranged by their teachers and coaches) is focused on improving particular tasks. DP also involves the provision of immediate feedback, time for problem-solving and evaluation, and opportunities for repeated performance to refine behavior. In this article, we draw upon the principles of DP established in other domains, such as chess, music, typing, and sports to provide insight into developing expert performance in medicine.

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Volume15, Issue11

Special Issue:Proceedings of The 2008 AEM Consensus Conference: The Science of Simulation in Healthcare: Defining and Developing Clinical Expertise Guest Editors:Amy Kaji, MD, PhD David C. Cone, MD

November 2008

Pages 988-994

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