VOLUME 36, ISSUE 1

On August 18, 2023, UTHealth Houston hosted its first Pediatric Anesthesia Fellow Bootcamp following months of meticulous planning. This process encompassed program layout, logistical arrangements, financial considerations, faculty invitations, and early engagement with program directors of pediatric anesthesia fellowships.

The primary objective of the two-day event was to provide comprehensive training for incoming fellows while fostering camaraderie among pediatric anesthesiologists from across the state. The result was an extraordinary gathering of experienced faculty presenters, many pediatric fellowship program directors, and fourteen bright, enthusiastic pediatric anesthesia fellows from our own fellowship program as well as pediatric fellows from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine-Houston , the University of Texas Southwestern-Dallas, and Washington University Hospital.

Day 1 commenced with a “meet and greet” during lunch, allowing fellows from different institutions to interact with one another and with the esteemed teaching faculty. During this session, participants also completed a pre-bootcamp questionnaire.

Following this, participants took part in four simulation sessions. The first was a hands-on pig cricothyrotomy station led by a team of two experienced anesthesiologists who also conduct similar training for the UTHealth Houston McGovern Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine Residency program. The second simulation was on crisis management. This was facilitated by the education director of the anesthesia residency program and tackled the topic of how to manage a challenging neonatal airway crisis causing cardiac arrest. This segment was timed and immersive. Next, there was an airway station that provided hands-on training with fiberoptic and video laryngoscopes. The final station was a vascular line station, where participants engaged in hands-on intraosseous access training and interactive mannequin-guided line placements.

Day 2 began with a Texan-style breakfast followed by an interactive session on effective communication skills, most notably, delivering bad news. This was followed by an immersive workshop on disaster preparedness that encompassed segments on “Stop the Bleed” and a “gunshot scenario.” The final lecture of the morning focused on ethical concerns in anesthesiology and explored topics like peri-operative “do not resuscitate” reconciliation, assent, mature minors versus emancipated minors, and effective communication regarding the Food and Drug Administration “pediatric neurotoxicity” warning. These sessions were all well received. Debriefing sessions followed each lecture, providing an opportunity for fellows and volunteers to ask questions. We selected these non-clinical yet high-impact topics to enrich the fellows’ knowledge, as they might not typically encounter them during their one-year fellowship.

The third component of the bootcamp comprised “hands-on” workshops, covering airway management, regional anesthesia, neuraxial techniques, and point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). These workshops were led by experts from five different academic institutions. To enhance learning, fellows were organized into small groups, with each group rotating through 25-minute stations. Anesthesia technicians, hospital catering services, and student volunteers played active roles during this phase.

After the bootcamp’s conclusion, participants were asked to fill out a post-bootcamp questionnaire to evaluate its productivity. Additionally, we solicited feedback through a survey to enhance the bootcamp’s quality in future iterations.

The bootcamp successfully achieved its objectives, fostering collaboration among various academic organizations and promoting camaraderie among pediatric anesthesia colleagues. The attendees also forged strong team bonds. Importantly, this event not only provided valuable learning experiences for the pediatric anesthesia fellows and the McGovern medical students in attendance, but it also served as an effective tool for generating interest in pediatric anesthesia among school volunteers. We look forward to hosting this event again in 2024. Our Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship Program at UT Houston is 100% committed to leveraging nationwide fellow education through advanced simulated patient scenarios, point of care ultrasound workshops, and immersive workshops in an engaging environment. For opportunities and more information, please contact Dr. Sabina Khan at Sabina.a.khan@uth.tmc.edu.