221 - Implementation of a National Neonatal Bootcamp Curriculum: Lessons Learned

Publication Number: 221.5523

Kesi Yang, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Wallingford, PA, United States; Amy J. Sloane, Nemours Children's Health at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States; Suma B. Hoffman, Children's National Health System, Bethesda, MD, United States; Nayef Chahin, Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU/ School of Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States; Anne Ades, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States; Heather M. French, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States; Christie J.. Bruno, Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital, New Haven, CT, United States; Lindsay Johnston, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States; Vilmaris Quinones Cardona, St Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Background: Boot camps are effective for addressing knowledge and procedural training gaps. Despite this, only 61% of the United States (US) ACGME-accredited Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine (NPM) fellowships provide this type of training to new fellows with varied duration and content.

Objective: We created, piloted, and evaluated a standardized 2-day boot camp curriculum for incoming NPM fellows in order to address this deficit.

Design/Methods: A standardized curriculum, developed based on a needs assessment of 66 NPM program leaders, includes simulation scenarios, case discussions, counseling scenarios, equipment checklists, and a suggested agenda. Simulation cases were adapted from the Organization of Neonatal Training Program Directors’ National Neonatology Simulation Curriculum. A committee of NPM PDs and simulation educators peer-reviewed the curriculum. NPM programs that opted in were sent the standardized curriculum and offered a one-hour virtual faculty simulation debriefing session. First-year NPM fellows underwent a two-day intensive boot camp experience in July 2024. Faculty and fellows were surveyed after the experience, and fellows completed an anonymous 32-question knowledge assessment.

Results: The pilot program included 27 NPM programs, 65 fellows, and 52 faculty educators. 78% of fellows and 58% of faculty completed the survey. The fellows (Table 1), faculty (Table 2), and site directors (Table 3) reported positive attitudes toward the course format and educational materials. All respondents recommended this boot camp experience. Site directors unanimously agreed the curriculum was designed for first-year NPM fellows and would participate again. Areas for improvement included a faculty development workshop, more structured pre-brief, and more time allotted for skills, and the inclusion of a critical congenital heart disease case. Overall, participants highly rated the experience in creating a sense of camaraderie and promoting professional development. 66% (n=43) of the fellows completed the knowledge assessment. The mean score was 82.2% (+/-6.6) and 67% of the fellows scored >80%.

Conclusion(s): We demonstrated the successful pilot implementation of a National Neonatal Boot Camp curriculum. Fellows and faculty educators strongly valued the educational materials and experience, and fellows demonstrated knowledge of the material after the boot camp. Opportunities remain for improvement in both design and national engagement. In 2025, we plan to implement the curriculum more broadly with additional regionalized boot camps to enhance the experience of first-year NPM fellows nationwide.

Table 1: Fellow Survey Responses


Table 2: Faculty Educator Survey Responses


Table 3: Site Director Responses