Urology Boot Camp: A Pilot Medical Student Curriculum for Common Bedside Urologic Procedures

Abstract

ObjectivesTo develop a novel “bootcamp” simulation-based curriculum to introduce common urologic procedures and to improve readiness for performing them at bedside. MethodsThree hundred twenty-five third-year medical students at our single institution participated in a hands-on simulation “boot camp” over a 2-year accrual period. This curriculum was designed to teach basic urologic bedside procedures (ie, Foley catheter placement, Bladder irrigation) to third year medical students prior to the start of their surgical clerkships in a live instructional setting with direct feedback from instructors. The objective aspects of the study consisted of a survey administered to study participants following participation in the simulation boot camp, as well as pre- and post-module assessments. ResultsMedical students self-reported knowledge gains following the simulation session (P < .001), with 45.8% increase in procedural confidence. Additionally, students reported that the educational intervention was beneficial to their understanding of the subject matter (P < .001), were “very likely” to recommend the session to another medical student (P < .001), and felt that educational intervention better prepared them for an upcoming national exam (P < .001). Finally, the greatest gains were seen for those students who self-reported lower precurriculum knowledge (P < .001). ConclusionsFindings from our M3 "boot camp" led to self-reported gains in subject matter knowledge following the hands-on simulation curriculum, indicating that this type of educational intervention can be beneficial in preparing medical students for common bedside procedures.