I saw this today on CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/health/2010/08/27/gupta.brain.surgery.boot.camp.cnn.html

How common is it to participate in training like this in residency?  Do most programs have these types of opportunities?  Or are most programs still, ‘old school’?

To my knowledge, most programs don’t have this opportunity.  I presume it is prior to the intern year and I think it is a great idea.  Dr. Barrow is an excellent chair and visionary and Emory is a good program.  As a PGY-5, I think it would be a great idea to be able to work with incoming residents in that environment to ease both the anxiety of the intern and for the senior overseeing the procedure.

As far as I know, the SNS boot camp is offered to ALL incoming interns.  I know that places like Emory and OHSU host these boot camps where residents from all areas are able to attend.  I would ask your program director about attending one of these.

All the interns I know who started this year attended SNS boot camp.  Both of our incoming interns did, and interns I know at other programs did as well.  I think they are making this possible for all interns - like Kenny said, speak with your program director.

From the SNS website:

SNS Launches National Course for Entering PGY1 Neurosurgery Residents

The SNS has designed and implemented a national course for all incoming PGY1 Neurosurgery Residents in the United States. The course will be held in 6 regional centers and staffed by SNS appointed faculty from residency programs around the country. Over 90% of all U.S. Residency programs and incoming PGY1 residents will participate in the course.

The SNS PGY1 Neurosurgery Resident Course (known as the Neurosurgery ‘Bootcamp’ will focus on fundamental skills, patient safety, professionalism, and communications. With equipment loaned and donated by 6 corporate sponsors, neurosurgical faculty will lead intensive hands on exercises oriented to fundamental bedside procedural and operative skills. These exercises have been designed to allow residents to familiarize themselves with the basics in an educational and risk free environment. Skills relevant to all PGY1 residents, such as line placement and suturing, as well as specific neurosurgical skills, such as drilling and craniotomy, will be covered.

The 2010 SNS National ‘Bootcamp’ Course curriculum has been designed based on input from faculty and learners who participated in local and regional pilot courses at Oregon Health & Science University, Loyola University, and other centers around the United States in 2009.

New material for ‘Bootcamp’ Course Directors and Residency Program Directors involved with the 2010 course has been posted in the SNS Program Directors Toolkit online.