The New York Section EMPIRE Collaborative: Piloting a Multi-Institutional, Simulation-Based Surgical Skills Boot Camp...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Urology

Background:

• Urology residency programs must equip junior residents with fundamental skills.
• The integration of an intern year necessitates structured foundational training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of the 2023 New York Section of the AUA (NYS-AUA) EMPIRE (Educational Multi-institutional Program for Instructing REsidents) Boot Camp.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of a collaborative skills-based boot camp for junior urology residents.

Main Methods:

• Junior urology residents attended a free, multi-institutional boot camp covering procedural skills, urologic emergencies, and postoperative scenarios.
• Participants completed pre- and post-course surveys (immediately and 6 months) assessing comfort levels with skills and program quality.
• Statistical analysis using t-tests compared pre- and post-course comfort scores.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in comfort with 13 out of 14 basic urologic technical skills domains was observed immediately post-course and at 6 months.
• Residents reported higher comfort in managing obstructive pyelonephritis and postoperative complications after didactic sessions.
• The study involved 40 junior residents, with high completion rates for immediate post-course surveys (87.5%) and a 57.5% response rate for the 6-month follow-up.

Conclusions:

• A skills-based, collaborative urology boot camp for junior residents is feasible and effective.
• The program enhanced trainees' confidence in performing technical skills and managing urologic emergencies long-term.
• The EMPIRE Boot Camp serves as a successful model for foundational urologic surgical education.