Department of Medicine Bootcamp
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Are You Ready? Boot Camp Prepares Physician Trainees for a Successful Transition to Practice
Department of Medicine faculty have developed thoughtful and thorough summer curricula, preparing medical school graduates for the transition into residency, and readying those who will move from residencies into sub-specialty fellowships at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
The words “boot camp” conjure up images of muddy obstacle courses, endless drills, and other intense physical and mental tests—all in service of preparing soldiers for active military duty, where they will encounter unforeseen challenges and must be ready to handle anything.
While perhaps less extreme physically, the idea behind boot camp for physicians is much the same: to equip them to handle whatever may come their way in the course of patient care.
According to an influential study in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education, boot camps have been well-established as “an effective educational strategy to improve learners' clinical skills, knowledge, and confidence.” In fact, 90% of all graduate medical education institutions now provide such training to incoming residents, intended to help newly qualified physicians adjust to the heightened clinical responsibility they will have as medical residents.
Many of the sessions are held in an informal roundtable setting, often over lunch. After the lecture portion of the session, faculty deftly lead the residents in role-playing scenarios, getting them accustomed to practicing important patient care skills in advance of needing to use them under pressure.
Intern Intensive
In the Department of Medicine, faculty leadership takes seriously the need to prepare its trainees for what lies ahead. Speaking of the intern boot camp he directs, Daniel Matassa, MD, associate professor of medicine, describes it as an orientation; one designed to ease interns into their new roles and provide them with a toolkit for success as they start their residencies.
“Interns learn the logistics of hospital operations, documentation, and pharmacy policies," explains Matassa. “Alongside this, we cover high-yield clinical topics such as evaluating chest pain and shortness of breath; how to read chest x-rays and EKGs.”
Soft skills are also part of the process; one recent session found the residents immersed in discussion about end-of-life conversations with patients and families, working through hypothetical scenarios with Roberto Droz Rosario, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine.
Approximately 50 new residents participate in the boot camp each summer, in anticipation of the year ahead on the inpatient wards and at outpatient clinics.
Sebastian Kang guided fellows in use of the ventilator, demonstrating functionality and walking through various outputs, encouraging fellows to interpret the results and brainstorm about how to proceed.
Focus on Fellows
Like the boot camp program run for interns, the Department of Medicine also provides a version of “basic training” to physicians preparing for fellowships in subspecialty areas; each division offers its own version of the camp, according to the specific skill set needed for that area of practice.
The boot camp schedule for pulmonary/critical care medicine (PCCM) fellows, for example, delves into topics such as bronchoscopy, sleep medicine, and central line placement. Says Amee Patrawalla, MD, associate professor of medicine, who directs the PCCM fellowship program, “The series is designed to facilitate rapid, hands-on learning; provide opportunities for safe and deliberate procedural practice using simulation; and build confidence in a fun and collaborative space.”
At the session on mechanical ventilators this summer, led by assistant professor of medicine Anish Bhatnagar, MD, a didactic lecture was followed by a hands-on session with Sebastian Kang, RRT, who supervises respiratory therapy at University Hospital. “Fellows learn individually and as a team, enhancing cohesiveness and communication while building essential and specialized skills,” Patrawalla explains.
Pallavi Solanki, MD, associate professor of medicine, led a session on mechanical circulatory support devices this summer, coaching fellows on device outputs and how to interpret various readings.
The cardiology fellows go through a similar intensive summer series, with a range of topics facilitated by faculty members in the division. Educators refine these sessions each year to meet evolving professional needs and interests. A recent boot camp week included workshops on stress testing, imaging, and Doppler echocardiograms—a non-invasive heart ultrasound that measures speed and direction of blood flow through the heart's chambers and valves
Department chair Marc Klapholz, MD, MBA, describes the summer programming as a proven “jump start” for interns and fellows on their path to excellence in clinical care. “We’re laying a strong foundation, supporting these new physicians by practicing the clinical and soft skills that will allow them to not only thrive, but to excel.”
