Implementation and assessment of a training course for residents in neonatology and pediatric emergency medicine

Residents must balance patient care and the ongoing acquisition of medical knowledge. With increasing clinical responsibilities and patient overload, medical training is often left aside. In 2010, we designed and implemented a training course in neonatology and pediatric emergency medicine for residents in pediatrics, in order to improve their medical education. The course was made of didactic sessions and several simulation-based seminars for each year of residency. We conducted this study to assess the impact of our program on residents' satisfaction and self-assessed clinical skills.

A survey was conducted at the end of each seminar. The students were asked to complete a form on a five-point rating scale to evaluate the courses and their impact on their satisfaction and self-assessed clinical skills, following the French National Health Institute's adapted Kirkpatrick model.

Sixty-four (84%) of the 76 residents who attended the courses completed the form. The mean satisfaction score for the entire course was 4.78±0.42. Over 80% of the students felt that their clinical skills had improved.

Medical education is an important part of residency training. Our training course responded to the perceived needs of the students with consistently satisfactory evaluations. Before the evaluation of the impact of the course on patient care, further studies are needed to assess the acquisition of knowledge and skills through objective evaluations.