Physician Training and Perspective

Institutions vary in their requirements for determining competency and granting privileges for providing moderate and deep procedural sedation. Several specialties outside of anesthesiology routinely provide pediatric procedural sedation services. Attaining sedation competency requires a multitiered approach to education, training, and assessment that encompasses factual knowledge and higher-level cognitive functioning such as clinical decision-making, communication skills, psychomotor skills, and ability to function as a member of a multidisciplinary team. Educational and training methods used to teach procedural sedation include written materials, didactic lectures, interactive small-group sessions, medical simulation, and clinical experience with mentoring. Assessment of procedural sedation knowledge and skills includes written examinations, medical simulation, proctoring, and multisource evaluations.