Preparing for the primary care clinic: an ambulatory boot camp for internal medicine interns

Abstract

IntroductionInternal medicine (IM) interns start continuity clinic with variable ambulatory training. Multiple other specialties have utilized a boot camp style curriculum to improve surgical and procedural skills, but boot camps have not been used to improve interns’ ambulatory knowledge and confidence. The authors implemented and assessed the impact of an intern ambulatory boot camp pilot on primary care knowledge, confidence, and curricular satisfaction.MethodsDuring July 2014, IM interns attended ambulatory boot camp. It included clinically focused case-based didactic sessions on common ambulatory topics as well as orientation to the clinic and electronic medical records. Interns anonymously completed a 15-question pre-test on topics covered in the boot camp as well as an identical post-test after the boot camp. The interns were surveyed regarding their confidence and satisfaction.ResultsThirty-eight interns participated in the boot camp. Prior to the boot camp, few interns reported confidence managing common outpatient conditions. The average pre-test knowledge score was 46.3%. The average post-test knowledge score significantly improved to 76.1% (p<0.001). All interns reported that the boot camp was good preparation for clinics and 97% felt that the boot camp boosted their confidence.ConclusionsThe ambulatory boot camp pilot improved primary care knowledge, and interns thought it was good preparation for clinic. The ambulatory boot camp was well received and may be an effective way to improve the preparation of interns for primary care clinic. Further assessment of clinical performance and expansion to other programs and specialties should be considered.

Strengthening medical training programmes by focusing on professional transitions: a national bridging programme to prepare medical school graduates for their role as medical interns in Botswana

“…Pre-internship programmes are usually of limited duration (several hours to several weeks) and focus on the acquisition of discrete skills. Self-assessment is usually used in evaluation of these programmes [ 36 , 40 , 41 ], although some have implemented objective knowledge assessments [ 42 ]. While participants often demonstrate improved self-confidence [ 36 ], which has proven to be durable in some settings [ 40 ], other authors have not reported on the phenomenon of tempered self-confidence that we observed in a subset of our participants.…”

Introductory Radiation Oncology Curriculum: Report of a National Needs Assessment and Multi-institutional Pilot Implementation

“…Multiple medical subspecialties have successfully implemented boot camps at the medical school (6–9), residency (10, 11), and fellowship (12) training levels. A previous national survey assessed the efficacy of current radiation oncology resident orientations (22), with only 11.3% of respondents reporting that their orientation was essential.…”

A Decade of Teaching and Learning in Internal Medicine Ambulatory Education: A Scoping Review

“…Two studies looked at the impact of introductory ''boot camps'' for new interns, with a multiday intervention that included didactics and clinic orientation/tours showing improvements in knowledge and clinical confidence. 22,23 The relatively limited number of published curricular interventions may be due to the large number of residency programs using extramural curricula (developed at outside institutions for broader use) 24 ; however, few groups published examinations of the implementation or impact of these modules in their individual residency programs. Additionally, very few curricula were published in MedEdPortal, limiting the ability to share curricular resources.…”