Creating and implementing a novel international interprofessional bootcamp in paediatric cardiac critical care.

Objective: To determine the feasibility of developing and implementing a multidisciplinary bootcamp for early-career Paediatric Cardiac Critical Care practitioners.

Setting: A one-day pre-conference bootcamp at the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society Annual Meeting in December 2022.

Subjects: Physicians, fellows, nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, and respiratory therapists who work primarily in paediatric cardiac critical care units.

Methods: A modified Delphi needs assessment with interprofessional content experts for the development of a mixed didactic and simulation-based bootcamp at the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society Annual Meeting in December 2022, with pre- and post-testing to evaluate knowledge gain and additional surveys to assess perceived value.

Results: Eighty-three course participants came from a variety of professions and represented institutions nationally and internationally. Most participants (77%) had two or more years of professional experience, aligning with the bootcamp's focus on advanced learners. The bootcamp received strong participant evaluations: 84.1% (37/44) strongly agreed that the bootcamp improved their clinical knowledge. Ninety-seven percent (43/44) reported increased confidence in the ability to care for paediatric cardiac critical care patients. The bootcamp demonstrated a significant improvement in participant knowledge, with pre-test scores averaging 54.9% (95% CI: 49.9-59.9) compared to post-test scores of 64.5% (95% CI: 59.7-69.2), achieving statistical significance (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Our pilot bootcamp has shown an improvement in immediate knowledge retention with valuable insights gathered to enhance future bootcamps. The results of this advanced interprofessional bootcamp evaluation will inform future iterations for providers in paediatric cardiac critical care.