Boot Camp Experience Research Articles

Satisfaction of cardiac surgery trainees with the residency training program in Saudi Arabia: a survey-based study

BackgroundThere is a direct relationship between the degree of trainees’ satisfaction and their productivity. The Saudi Board of Cardiac Surgery is a new training program established by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties. As a result, we aimed to provide helpful information and data in order to improve the overall quality of the local cardiac training program. This is the first study to look at how satisfied residents are with the Saudi cardiac surgery training program.ResultsThe study included 55.3% central region residents (N = 26), 31.9% western region residents (N = 15), and others from other regions, resulting in a total of 47 participants out of 60 with a 78.3% response rate. Only 42.6% of all residents were satisfied with their training in the Saudi Board of Cardiac Surgery program, 23.4% were neutral, and 34.0% were dissatisfied with the program. The most essential area for improvement was operative experience (63.8%), followed by workplace climate (8.5%) and mentorship (6.4%), whereas the area least in need of improvement was research opportunities (2.1%).ConclusionsOur results indicate a decline in satisfaction level with the training program. In reference to our findings, implementing simulation-based surgical learnings and providing more frequent exposure to Boot Camp experience in cardiac surgery is recommended. Adequate and constant mentoring, and constructive feedback, represent a valuable resource for improvement theoretically and surgically.

Utilizing Telesimulation for Advanced Skills Training in Consultation and Handoff Communication: A Post-COVID-19 GME Bootcamp Experience.

COVID-19 forced the switch to virtual for many educational strategies, including simulation. Virtual formats have the potential to broaden access to simulation training, especially in resource-heavy "bootcamp"-type settings. We converted our in-person communication skills bootcamp to telesimulation and compared effectiveness and satisfaction between formats. During June 2020 orientation, 130 entering interns at one institution participated, using Zoom® to perform one mock consultation and three mock handoffs. Faculty rated performance with checklists and gave feedback. Post-bootcamp surveys assessed participant satisfaction and practice preparedness. Telesimulation performance was comparable to in-person for consultations and slightly inferior for handoffs. Survey response rate was 100%. Compared to in-person, there was higher satisfaction with telesimulation, and interns felt more prepared for practice (95% vs 78%, P < .01); 99% recommended the experience. Fifty percent fewer faculty were required for implementation. Telesimulation was well-received and comparable to in-person bootcamp, representing a feasible, scalable training strategy for communication skills essential in hospital medicine.

Improvement and Retention of Wheelchair Skills Training for Students in Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Education.

Although an essential component of best practice, wheelchair skills training is often inadequate; occupational therapy practitioners' professional preparation is a contributing factor. To assess the effectiveness of a boot camp on capacity and self-efficacy in wheelchair skills and self-efficacy in clinical practice, retention of improvements, and effective boot-camp attributes. Concurrent, embedded, mixed-methods cohort design that used blinded, repeated-measures quantitative evaluation with 4-mo follow-up and directed content analysis of a qualitative questionnaire. University entry-to-practice program. Convenience sample (N = 42) of final-year students. A 4-hr boot camp with demonstration and supervised practice. Content incorporated skill performance, training and motor-learning strategies, and safe supervision. Skill performance capacity (Wheelchair Skills Test-Questionnaire), self-efficacy with manual wheelchair use (Wheelchair Use Confidence Scale), confidence in provision of manual wheelchair training services (Self-Efficacy in Assessing, Training, and Spotting test), and a boot-camp experience questionnaire. Within-subjects analysis of variance revealed significant improvements on all measures (p < .001) with large effect sizes (ηp² = .68-.88). All measures except skill capacity demonstrated retention; skill capacity decreased 5.3% (95% confidence interval [2.0, 8.5]) but was significantly higher than baseline. Three themes influenced practice confidence: knowledge acquisition, experiential learning, and client empathy. Results confirm improved wheelchair self-efficacy, capacity, and self-efficacy with clinical intervention skills. Retention of outcomes suggests the potential impact on future practice. Experiential learning supports performance component acquisition and imparts empathy of client experience, which may improve occupational therapy practitioners' perceptions of client potential. A 4-hr experiential boot camp can increase students' capacity and confidence to deliver wheelchair skills training to future clients. Experiential learning increased students' appreciation for clients' experience and expectation of client potential.

Science & Journalism: Bridging the Gaps Through Specialty Training

ABSTRACT As the media landscape continues to change, reporters are now being charged with the task of covering more with less. One result is that reporters without any specialty training are covering complex scientific issues as part of their normal beats. In an effort to fill the gap in science training opportunities for journalists covering various topics, organizations across the U.S. are offering diverse training experiences for practicing journalists. As these programs emerge, it is important to ask questions about their effectiveness and impact. This research assessed journalists’ experiences in two boot camp style science trainings offered by SciLine, an editorially independent service for journalists based at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Specifically, this project sought to assess the most common barriers participants face when incorporating science into their coverage, if participants felt more confident incorporating science into their reporting after the boot camp training, and what parts of the boot camp experience were most valuable.

Incoming residents’ knot-tying and suturing skills: Are medical school boot camps sufficient?

IntroductionMany medical schools offer M4 boot camps to improve students’ preparedness for surgical residencies. For three consecutive years, we investigated the impact of medical school boot camps on intern knot-tying and suturing skills when measured at the start of residency. MethodsForty-two interns completed questionnaires regarding their boot camp experiences. Their performance on knot-tying and suturing exercises was scored by three surgeons blinded to the questionnaire results. A comparison of these scores of interns with or without boot camp experiences was performed and statistical analysis applied. Results26 of 42 (62%) interns reported boot camp training. There were no differences in scores between interns with or without a M4 boot camp experience for suturing [9.6(4.6) vs 9.8(4.1), p < 0.908], knot-tying [9.1(3.6) vs 8.4(4.1), p = 0.574], overall performance [2.0(0.6) vs 1.9(0.7), p = 0.424], and quality [2.0(0.6) vs 1.9(0.7), p = 0.665]) (mean(SD)). ConclusionsWe could not demonstrate a statistically significant benefit in knot-tying and suturing skills of students who enrolled in M4 boot camp courses as measured at the start of surgical residency.

Prior ties and the limits of peer effects on startup team performance

Research SummaryWe conduct a field experiment at an entrepreneurship bootcamp to investigate whether interaction with proximate peers shapes a nascent startup team's performance. We find that teams whose members lack prior ties to others at the bootcamp experience peer effects that influence the quality of their product prototypes. A 1‐SD increase in the performance of proximate teams is related to a two‐thirds SD improvement for a focal team. In contrast, we find that teams whose members have many prior ties interact less frequently with proximate peers, and thus their performance is unaffected by nearby teams. Our findings highlight how prior social connections, which are often a source of knowledge and influence, can limit new interactions and thus the ability of organizations to leverage peer effects to improve the performance of their members. Managerial SummaryResearchers and policymakers believe that accelerators, incubators, and bootcamps help entrepreneurial ecosystems spur innovation and drive startup growth. The effectiveness of these organizations, in large part, depends on the new social interactions fostered among colocated entrepreneurs. Yet, little evidence exists about the extent to which such interactions actually lead to spillovers. We ran a controlled experiment at a startup bootcamp to investigate when entrepreneurs were most affected by their colocated peers. Not everyone benefited. We found that entrepreneurs with many prior ties to others at the bootcamp made fewer new connections, especially to neighboring peers, and thus did not experience significant spillovers. In contrast, those without prior connections experienced the greatest spillovers because they interacted frequently with people on nearby colocated teams. Our findings highlight how organizations like incubators and bootcamps, designed to foster new connections, might sometimes just reinforce old networks.

A transition to discipline curriculum for pediatric surgery trainees: Evaluation of a pediatric surgery boot camp from 2017 to 2018

IntroductionBoot camps seek to impart knowledge and skills for individuals entering new roles. We sought to evaluate knowledge, skills, and confidence of in-coming pediatric surgery trainees with a 2.5-day pediatric surgery boot camp. MethodsA curriculum included key aspects of pediatric surgery delivered during interactive lectures, small group discussions, and simulation. With REB approval, participant demographics were collected. Pre- and posttests assessed knowledge and trainee confidence. Comparative statistics and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were performed. ResultsBetween 2017 and 2018, 16 individuals from North American pediatric surgery training programs participated in two boot camps. Ten had North American general surgery training, and eleven had no pediatric surgery exposure ≥1 year prior. All participants expressed increased confidence with course material after boot camp [F(18,11) = 3.137;p < 0.05]. Performance improved significantly (pre- vs. posttests, 47.0% vs. 62.4%; p < 0.05). MANOVA between faculty and trainees demonstrated agreement on the value of individual sessions [F(15,3) = 0.642;p = 0.76]. Neonatal bowel obstruction, gastrostomy tube complications, esophageal atresia, pain management, and informed consent were rated most useful. ConclusionTrainees and teaching faculty considered the boot camp valuable. Trainees demonstrated significant improvements in core knowledge and confidence. The initial pediatric surgery boot camp experience shows promise in facilitating the transition to discipline for new trainees. Study typeProspective treatment study. Level of evidenceIV.

Abstract: The American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons Plastic Surgery Boot Camp Program: Evaluation of the University of Pittsburgh’s Three Year Experience

BACKGROUND: The American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons (ACAPS) Plastic Surgery Boot Camp program was introduced in July 2015 in Pittsburgh and was expanded to four regional sites thanks to standardized presentations, increased practical sessions, and streamlined evaluations. The aim of this study was to evaluate our ACAPS Plastic Surgery Boot Camp experience over the past three years and the impact it had on participant performance. METHODS: Over the past three years a total of 119 residents (99 Integrated / 20 Independent) attended the Boot Camp in Pittsburgh. Lecture topics and practical sessions covered the full spectrum of plastic surgery. All participants completed pre- and post- evaluation surveys with mean scores being reported as percentages and analyzed using ANOVA. RESULTS: The evaluation of Boot Camp participants increased over the past three years (2015=80%, 2016=91%, 2017=94%, p<0.001). Participants reported a statistical improvement in the Boot Camp being appropriate for the level of learning (2015=82%, 2016=90%, 2017=92%, p=0.017), and improving medical knowledge (2015=74%, 2016=88%, 2017=92%, p<0.001), technical skills (2015=74%, 2016=82%, 2017=90%, p=0.001), judgement skills (2015=74%, 2016=82%, 2017=86%, p=0.017) and confidence (2015=76%, 2016=86%, 2017=88%, p=0.008). Participants demonstrated improvement in all taught plastic surgery topics including craniofacial, hand, breast, and microsurgery. Participants reported the lowest improvement in communication skills, professionalism, and accountability. CONCLUSION: The ACAPS Plastic Surgery Boot Camp has proved successful in introducing core concepts in plastic surgery to new residents. The implementation of an improved curriculum in response to participants’ feedback has increased participant performance and evaluation over the past three years.

The ACAPS Plastic Surgery Boot Camp Program: Evaluation of the University of Pittsburgh 3-year Experience

BACKGROUND The American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons sponsored Plastic Surgery Boot Camp program was developed in response to ongoing changes in graduate medical education. The purpose of this new program was to facilitate the transition of both Integrated and Independent residents into Plastic Surgery training, as current trainees are required to rapidly assimilate knowledge and gain clinical skills to which they have had limited and/or inconsistent exposure during their prior education. The Boot Camp program was introduced in July 2015 in Pittsburgh, PA, and has subsequently expanded to 4 regional sites across the United States due to the use of standardized presentations, increased practical sessions, and streamlined evaluations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Pittsburgh Plastic Surgery Boot Camp experience over the past 3 years and its impact on participant performance. METHODS Over the past 3 years a total of 119 residents (99 Integrated/20 Independent) attended the Boot Camp in Pittsburgh. Lecture topics and practical sessions covered the full spectrum of plastic surgery. All participants completed pre- and postevaluation surveys with mean scores being reported as percentages and analyzed using analysis of variance. RESULTS The overall evaluation of Boot Camp participants increased significantly over the past 3 years (2015 = 80%, 2016 = 91%, 2017 = 94%, P < 0.001). Participants reported a statistically significant improvement in the Boot Camp being appropriate for the level of learning (2015 = 82%, 2016 = 90%, 2017 = 92%, P = 0.017), and significant improvements in medical knowledge (2015 = 74%, 2016 = 88%, 2017 = 92%, P < 0.001), technical skills (2015 = 74%, 2016 = 82%, 2017 = 90%, P = 0.001), judgment skills (2015 = 74%, 2016 = 82%, 2017 = 86%, P = 0.017) and confidence (2015 = 76%, 2016 = 86%, 2017 = 88%, P = 0.008). Participants demonstrated improvement in all taught plastic surgery topics including craniofacial, hand, breast, and microsurgery. Participants reported the lowest improvement in communication skills, professionalism, and accountability. CONCLUSION The American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons Plastic Surgery Boot Camp has proved successful in introducing core concepts in plastic surgery to new residents. The implementation of an improved curriculum in response to participants’ feedback has significantly increased participant performance and evaluation over the past 3 years.

Could a coding bootcamp experience prepare you for industry?

Coding bootcamps are springing up around the world, purporting to offer a faster or easier route into the software development industry. The author evaluates the factors that potential bootcamp participants should consider in deciding whether a bootcamp experience might be a viable option.

P055: EMS boot camp: a real-world, real-time educational experience for emergency medicine residents

Introduction/Innovation Concept: In 2014, Eastern Ontario paramedic services, their medical director staff and area community colleges developed an EMS Boot Camp experience to orient Queen’s University and the University of Ottawa emergency medicine residents to the role of paramedics and the challenges they face in the field. Current EMS ride-alongs and didactic classroom sessions were deemed ineffective at adequately preparing residents to provide online medical control. From those early discussions came the creation of a real-world, real-time (RWRT) educational experience. Methods: Specific challenges unique to paramedicine are difficult to communicate to a medical control physician at the other end of a telephone. The goal of this one-day educational experience is for residents to gain insight into the complexity and time sensitive nature of delivering medical care in the field. Residents are immersed as responding paramedics in a day of intense RWRT simulation exercises reflecting the common paramedic logistical challenges to delivering patient care in an uncontrolled and dynamic environment. Curriculum, Tool, or Material: Scenarios, run by paramedic students, are overseen by working paramedics from participating paramedic services. Residents learn proper use of key equipment found on an Ontario ambulance while familiarize themselves with patient care standards and medical directives. Scenarios focus on prehospital-specific clinical care issues; performing dynamic CPR in a moving vehicle, extricating a bariatric patient with limited personnel, large scale multi-casualty triage as well as other time sensitive, high risk procedures requiring online medical control approval (i.e. chest needle thoracostomy). Conclusion: EMS Boot Camp dispels preconceived biases regarding “what it’s really like” to deliver high quality prehospital clinical care. When providing online medical control in the future, the residents will be primed to understand and expect certain challenges that may arise. The educational experience fosters collaboration between prehospital and hospital-based providers. The sessions provide a reproducible, standardized experience for all participants; something that cannot be guaranteed with traditional EMS ride-alongs. Future sessions will evaluate participant satisfaction and self-efficacy with the use of a standard evaluation form including pre/post self-evaluations.

Pediatric Cardiology Boot Camp: Description and Evaluation of a Novel Intensive Training Program for Pediatric Cardiology Trainees.

The transition from residency to subspecialty fellowship in a procedurally driven field such as pediatric cardiology is challenging for trainees. We describe and assess the educational value of a pediatric cardiology "boot camp" educational tool designed to help prepare trainees for cardiology fellowship. A two-day intensive training program was provided for pediatric cardiology fellows in July 2015 at a large fellowship training program. Hands-on experiences and simulations were provided in: anatomy, auscultation, echocardiography, catheterization, cardiovascular intensive care (CVICU), electrophysiology (EP), heart failure, and cardiac surgery. Knowledge-based exams as well as surveys were completed by each participant pre-training and post-training. Pre- and post-exam results were compared via paired t tests, and survey results were compared via Wilcoxon rank sum. A total of eight participants were included. After boot camp, there was a significant improvement between pre- and post-exam scores (PRE 54±9% vs. POST 85±8%; p≤0.001). On pre-training survey, the most common concerns about starting fellowship included: CVICU emergencies, technical aspects of the catheterization/EP labs, using temporary and permanent pacemakers/implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs), and ECG interpretation. Comparing pre- and post-surveys, there was a statistically significant improvement in the participants comfort level in 33 of 36 (92%) areas of assessment. All participants (8/8, 100%) strongly agreed that the boot camp was a valuable learning experience and helped to alleviate anxieties about the start of fellowship. A pediatric cardiology boot camp experience at the start of cardiology fellowship can provide a strong foundation and serve as an educational springboard for pediatric cardiology fellows.

Lessons Learned through Sequential Offerings of an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Boot Camp for Sophomore Engineering Students

We provide an overview of the development and assessment of two subsequent offerings of a sophomore-level engineering innovation and entrepreneurship boot camp. The boot camp focused on the development of entrepreneurial mindset skills through the provision of curricular content on idea generation and the customer’s role in the design and technology transfer process. Students also participated in an experiential component which involved an iterative design process culminating in a business pitch made to a panel of faculty and entrepreneurship community members. Entrepreneurial mindset is a term that has varied definitions based on the reference source. This paper provides an overview of these definitions and a basis for the entrepreneurial mindset development that was sought as part of this boot-camp experience. Results demonstrated that the bootcamp environment can successfully provide an environment for the learning of innovation and entrepreneurship concepts and lay the foundation for skill sets that can be further developed within students’ academic careers. 75% of student respondents thought the skills they initially identified as being important to innovation and entrepreneurship had changed as a result of the boot camp. Student perceptions of important innovation and entrepreneurship skills that had changed can be related back to the engineering viewpoint of the entrepreneurial mindset. Specifically, creativity and customer focus were stated most frequently as skills that had changed. In addition, the “muddiest points” related to innovation and entrepreneurship were reported by 97% of participants to have been made “clearer” as a result of the boot camp.

Emergencies in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery bootcamp: a novel Canadian experience.

A 1-day intensive course (bootcamp) was developed, to teach junior otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OTO-HNS) residents emergency procedural skills, clinical reasoning, and communication skills. This learning paradigm utilized a number of novel task trainers, panel discussions, and emergency simulations. The study objective was to assess the educational value of this bootcamp. Prospective cohort survey. Residents were recruited from regional teaching centers within a 2000-km radius of the simulation center. Preceptors fluent in English and in French were in attendance. Pre-bootcamp outcome measures included the Kolb Learning Style Inventory and a self-administered survey measuring confidence levels in performing specific OTO-HNS tasks. Post-bootcamp outcome measures included a survey evaluating the bootcamp experience and a structured follow-up telephone interview. Twenty-eight residents participated in the bootcamp from across the United States and Canada. When asked if they felt that "overall, the educational day was an effective learning process," the average score was 4.75/5.0. The vast majority of participants (92.9%) felt they would recommend the bootcamp to a future junior resident. Kolb learning styles that prefer active experimentation (acting, initiating, and deciding) were more common than those that utilize reflective observation (imagining, analyzing, reflecting), which favors a hands-on model of learning. This first Canadian OTO-HNS bootcamp demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of conducting a centralized bootcamp for regional training centers spanning multiple states/provinces and languages. Future bootcamps will be held annually and will ideally continue the natural evolution of surgical, hands-on training.

Retention of critical care skills after simulation-based mastery learning.

Whether cognitive and patient care skills attained during simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) are retained is largely unknown. We studied retention of intensive care unit (ICU) clinical skills after an SBML boot camp experience. Forty-seven postgraduate year (PGY)-1 residents completed SBML intervention designed to increase procedural, communication, and patient care skills. The intervention included ICU skills such as ventilator and hemodynamic parameter management. Residents were required to meet or exceed a minimum passing score (MPS) on a clinical skills examination before starting actual patient care. Skill retention was assessed in 42 residents who rotated in the medical ICU. Residents received a standardized 15-minute booster teaching session reviewing key concepts during the first week of the rotation. During the fourth week of their rotation, PGY-1 residents completed a clinical skills examination at the bedside of an actual ICU patient. Group mean examination scores and the proportion of subjects who met or exceeded the MPS at each testing occasion were compared. Residents scored a mean 90% (SD = 6.5%) on the simulated skills examination immediately after training. Residents retained skills obtained through SBML as the mean score at bedside follow-up testing was 89% (SD = 8.9%, P = .36). Thirty-seven of 42 (88%) PGY-1 residents met or exceeded the MPS at follow-up. SBML leads to substantial retention of critical care knowledge, and patient care skills PGY-1 boot camp is a highly efficient and effective model that can be administered at the beginning of the academic year.

The Role of Environment in Fostering Conductive Entrepreneurial Learning: Teaching the ‘Art’ of Entrepreneurship in Boot Camps

The Role of Environment in Fostering Conductive Entrepreneurial Learning: Teaching the ‘Art’ of Entrepreneurship in Boot Camps

Simulation in coronary artery anastomosis early in cardiothoracic surgical residency training: The Boot Camp experience

Simulation in coronary artery anastomosis early in cardiothoracic surgical residency training: The Boot Camp experience

Simulation in coronary artery anastomosis early in cardiothoracic surgical residency training: The Boot Camp experience

Simulation in coronary artery anastomosis early in cardiothoracic surgical residency training: The Boot Camp experience

Simulation in coronary artery anastomosis early in cardiothoracic surgical residency training: The Boot Camp experience

We evaluated focused training in coronary artery anastomosis with a porcine heart model and portable task station. At "Boot Camp," 33 first-year cardiothoracic surgical residents participated in 4-hour coronary anastomosis sessions (6-7 attending surgeons per group of 8-9 residents). At beginning, midpoint, and session end, anastomosis components were assessed on a 3-point rating scale (1 good, 2 average, 3 below average). Performances were video recorded and reviewed by 3 surgeons in a blinded fashion. Participants completed questionnaires at session end, with follow-up surveys at 6 months. Ten to 18 end-to-side anastomoses with porcine model and task station were performed. Initial assessments ranged from 2.11 +/- 0.58 (forceps use) to 2.44 +/- 0.48 (needle angles). Midpoint scores ranged from 1.76 +/- 0.63 (forceps use) to 1.91 +/- 0.49 (needle angles). Session end scores ranged from 1.29 +/- 0.45 (needle holder use) to 1.58 +/- 0.50 (needle transfer and suture management and tension; P < .001). Video recordings confirmed improved performance (interrater reliability >0.5). All respondents agreed that task station and porcine model were good methods of training. At 6 months, respondents noted that the anastomosis session provided a basis for training; however, only slightly more than half continued to practice outside the operating room. Four-hour focused training with porcine model and task station resulted in improved ability to perform anastomoses. Boot Camp may be useful in preparing residents for coronary anastomosis in the clinical setting, but emphasis on simulation development and deliberate practice is necessary.

Survival Analysis of Recidivism of Male and Female Boot Camp Graduates Using Life-Course Theory

This was a five-year follow-up study of 572 male and 120 female graduates of a boot camp in the South. The purpose was to examine what elements of life-course theory predict recidivism (felony conviction or parole violation), gender differences in predictors, and some issues regarding the effects of boot camp. Special emphasis was on perceptions of the boot camp experience by inmates, and on how sexual and physical abuses during different stages of the life span predict recidivism. Cox's Proportional-Hazards Model indicated that certain favorable perceptions of the boot camp program were associated with decreased hazard rates of recidivism, even after considering factors considered to be ameliorating experiences in life-course theory. Childhood sexual abuse, sexual and physical maltreatments in adolescence, and current sexual assaults are related to increases in the hazard rates of recidivism. In support of life-course theory, ameliorating experiences, such as having a conventional partner and full-time employment, did significantly reduce the hazard rates of most predictors studied. Finally, several gender differences relevant to questions about the utility and humanity of boot camps were discussed.