Back to the basics: a novel comprehensive surgical intern training bootcamp

Purpose Intern “Bootcamp” is a vital component of training that equips learners with the technical and professional skills expected in daily practice. UT Southwestern remodeled our 2022 Bootcamp to cover all critical intern tasks through 39 lectures, workshops, simulations, and real-world experience. In this study, we analyzed intern preparedness after their bootcamp as well as the global assessment of this year’s interns from upper-level residents (ULR) and advanced practice providers (APP). Methods After the program director requested a reworking of our intern bootcamp, we followed Kern’s 6-Step framework for curriculum development. Prior to implementation, interns filled out a survey and after completion of bootcamp, we again issued the post survey that assessed their confidence with specific tasks and procedures. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test was used to assess differences in confidence. Three months into the year, a global assessment by supervisors comparing previous years intern performances to this year’s was conducted. The Wilcoxon Rank Sum test was used to assess agreement in the ratings. Results We had 35 total participants (17 interns, 11 ULR, and 7 APPs). Interns reported a significant improvement in their confidence in 91% of the topics taught. ULR rated post-bootcamp interns as “better than past years” on every surveyed measure except for simple bedside procedures, which they rated as “significantly better than past years.” APPs rated interns “better than past years” on every observed task except for hand-offs/sign-outs which were “unchanged.” Both APPs and ULRs agreed in their assessment of interns. Conclusion This study demonstrated that our redesigned intern bootcamp significantly improved the confidence of interns on nearly all vital tasks. Their improved performance was subjectively confirmed by supervisors. This data encourages us to continue to develop and share our methods with other programs.