20: Bridging the Training Gap: A Multimodal Educational Boot Camp for Phyisician Fellows in Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)

Introduction: Pediatric ECMO management presents unique challenges in acute care settings, requiring specialized expertise to manage critically ill children. Prior residency training rarely provides sufficient ECMO exposure for the medical and surgical fellows managing these patients. To bridge this knowledge gap, we developed and evaluated a multimodal pediatric ECMO boot camp for new fellows. Methods: Our 5-hour boot camp was designed by the authors and implemented annually in August from 2021 to 2023. The curriculum included multiple educational modalities including introductory didactics, a hands-on circuit demonstration, and four 30-minute activity stations (high-fidelity simulations, guided circuit pressures worksheet, and tabletop puzzle). To assess knowledge acquisition, pre- and post-tests were administered. Participants completed a post-boot camp survey to evaluate their confidence and provide feedback. Results: A total of 49 participants completed the boot camp (18 critical care, 4 cardiology, 11 pediatric surgery, 12 cardiothoracic surgery, and 4 pediatric emergency medicine fellows). Pre- and post-tests demonstrated significant improvement in knowledge of ECMO circuit components and pressures (56.5% vs. 75.5%, p < 0.0001). 100% of our participants agreed (86% strongly agreed) that participating in the boot camp increased their confidence in troubleshooting ECMO emergencies. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of establishing a pediatric ECMO boot camp to train new fellows. The boot camp curriculum not only improved ECMO knowledge but also boosted learners’ confidence in managing ECMO-related challenges. Participants particularly valued the inclusion of fellows from various clinical disciplines because it offered a rich diversity of perspectives. Limitations included the relatively small sample size within a specific hospital setting, which could limit the generalizability of our findings to other institutions with different demographics, resources, and educational structures. Additionally, our evaluation primarily focused on participants’ perceptions and knowledge improvement, without assessing behavior change or patient outcomes.