A Pediatric Preintern Boot Camp: Program Development and Evaluation Informed by a Conceptual Framework

Boot camps are being developed and implemented by a growing number of medical schools to facilitate medical students' transition to internship. However, there is limited conceptual understanding of how this facilitation occurs.

We developed and piloted a 1-week pediatric boot camp in 2015, then significantly revised and evaluated the program in 2016-2017 using a conceptual framework of self-efficacy. Consistent with this framework, the revised boot camp focuses on enhancing practical skills that can ease medical students' transition to internship. Observations and course evaluations informed process evaluation, whereas learner assessments immediately after and at 6 months after the boot camp informed outcomes evaluation in terms of both perceived self-efficacy and confidence.

Medical students valued sessions that were "hands on," and program improvements were made to include a variety of interactive curricular activities. Data from course evaluations provided evidence of increased perceived self-efficacy. Learner assessment showed a medium to large effect size for confidence in nearly all specific skills that were queried and a positive, albeit attenuated, effect on perceived self-efficacy at 6 months.

Program evaluation of a pediatric boot camp informed by a conceptual framework of self-efficacy shed light on how it might facilitate medical students' transition to internship. A similar conceptual framework may be useful for other trainee preparatory courses.