Boot camps in neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship programs: A national survey

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Kumar, D.^a | Vachharajani, A.J.^b | Wertheimer, F.^c | Vergales, B.^d | Glass, K.^e | Dannaway, D.^f | Winter, L.^g | Delaney, H.^h | Ganster, A.ⁱ | Arnold, J.^j | Urban, A.^k | Johnston, L.^l | Bruno, C.^l | Gray, M.M.^m | Sawyer, T.^{m; *} | for the Organization of Neonatal Training Program Directors Task Force on Simulation

Affiliations: [a] Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA | [b] Department of Pediatrics, Division of Newborn Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO, USA | [c] Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA, USA | [d] Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA | [e] Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, Hershey, PA, USA | [f] Department of Pediatrics, Section of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA | [g] Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA | [h] Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, TX, USA | [i] Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA | [j] Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, St. Petersburg, FL, USA | [k] Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA | [l] Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA | [m] Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University of Washington School of Medicine and Seattle Children’s Hospital. Seattle, WA, USA

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Taylor Sawyer, DO, Med, University of Washington School of Medicine, 1959 NE Pacific St, RR451 HSB, Box 356320, Seattle, WA 98195-6320. Tel.: +1 206 543 3200; Fax: +1 206 543 8926; E-mail: tlsawyer@uw.edu.

Abstract: BACKGROUND:Simulation is widely used in graduate medical education. A prior survey showed that 80% of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine (NPM) fellowship programs in the U.S. use simulation. There are multiple ways to provide simulation-based education. One such method is through intensive simulation-based education sessions held at the beginning of a training program, common called ‘boot camps’. The aim of this study was to describe the use of simulation-based boot camps in NPM fellowship programs. METHODS:Survey study of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited NPM fellowships in the U.S. RESULTS:Fifty-nine of 98 programs (60%) responded. Thirty six (61%) participated in 1st year fellow boot camps, which focused on procedural skills and newborn resuscitation. Nearly half of programs participated in regional boot camps. Most boot camps were one or two days long. Eleven programs (19%) held 2nd or 3rd year fellow boot camps, which focused on advanced resuscitation and communication. Barriers included lack of faculty protected time (57%), funding (39%), and lack of faculty experience (31%). CONCLUSIONS:A majority of ACGME accredited NPM fellowships participate in 1st year fellows’ boot camps. Many participate in regional boot camps. A few programs have 2nd or 3rd year fellow boot camps. Lack of time, funding, and faculty experience were common barriers.

Keywords: Boot camp, simulation, Neonatal-perinatal medicine, neonatal fellowship

DOI: 10.3233/NPM-18117

Journal: Journal of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 231-237, 2019