• Shiraz A Maskatia, Carolyn A Altman, Shaine A Morris, and Antonio G Cabrera.
• Lillie Frank Abercrombie Section of Pediatric Cardiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas. Electronic address: samaskat@bcm.edu.
• J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2013 Oct 1;26(10):1187-92.

BackgroundDynamic training schedules introduce novel challenges to medical specialty training programs that require manual dexterity. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a 3-day, intensive pediatric echocardiography course ("boot camp") on trainee self-efficacy and on the acquisition and short-term retention of basic echocardiographic knowledge and skills for first-year pediatric cardiology fellows (CFs).MethodsThe boot camp consisted of hands-on structured practice guided by sonographers and cardiology faculty members, didactic lectures, and reading. Pre-boot camp experience was assessed using an experience score. Outcome measures included written precamp and postcamp examinations, a performance-based test, precamp and postcamp self-efficacy assessments, and the number and quality of echocardiographic examinations performed in the first 3 months of fellowship.ResultsSix CFs completed the boot camp. Two of the six CFs reported experience scores of 2 out of 10, whereas the remainder reported experience scores of 0 out of 10. Performance-based test scores ranged from 68 to 99 out of 147. All six CFs reported precamp self-efficacy scores of 21 (the minimum score), compared with median postcamp scores of 82 (range, 49-94) (P = .01). Scores on the written examination improved from median of 16 (range, 11-18) to 23.5 (range, 22-28) (P = .01). CFs who completed the boot camp completed 28 independent echocardiographic examinations (median, 4 per CF) during the first 3 months of fellowship, an increase from six independent examinations (median, 1 per CF) by CFs during the year before institution of the boot camp (P = .030). Echocardiograms obtained by CFs who had completed the boot camp scored higher on total quality (P = .004), overall two-dimensional image quality (P = .011), functional assessments (P = .015), and assessment for pericardial effusion (P = .031).ConclusionsThe echocardiography boot camp improves self-efficacy in performing an echocardiographic examination and the acquisition and short-term retention of skills and knowledge required to perform pediatric echocardiography.Copyright © 2013 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

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