What is “BootCamp”?

Anesthesiology is one of the most “hands-on" and “DIY” specialties. We manage the specific details of our patient’s care in a way that no other medical specialty does. This requires that we understand how to perform functions and follow pathways/processes that will afford our patients the highest quality and safest care possible. But, the topics, medications, workflows, and communication pathways are different than what you experienced in medical school or in the CBY year. In order to get you up to speed as quickly as possible, this eight-week “BootCamp” is designed to provide you with the necessary didactic information and clinical experience to provide safe care for your patients.

Overview

This program will last eight weeks and, when completed, is intended to provide the education and experience that you will need to provide patient care under the medical direction of the attending anesthesiologist. Over the course of Bootcamp, you will have an assigned preceptor to support and supervise you. This means that an attending will be with you, one to one, the entire time. Please see the daily work flow for an example of an average day.

There will be daily mandatory lectures designed to cover the essential introductory information. Completion of the “Bootcamp checklist” is required. As well, there will be topics for clinical/intraoperative conversation. This checklist must be signed by your preceptor and provided to the Program Director upon completion of the program.

Daily Workflow Goals

The work day will usually begin about 6:15 a.m.

Preoperative Preparation

  • Machine safety check and documentation.
  • Review the record for the first patient.
  • Prepare medications/equipment for the case.
  • Identify the patient/review Surgical Consent/Conduct a focused patient history and evaluation.
  • Review the diagnostic studies.
  • Develop an anesthetic plan and discuss with the attending.
  • Document your evaluation/plan.
  • Obtain informed patient consent with the attending.
  • Confirm/obtain IV access.

Anesthetic Management

  • Ensure that Nursing staff have identified the patient, that the OR is ready, and that you have communicated the type of anesthesia to be provided.
  • Safe transfer to the OR and to the OR bed.
  • Place standard monitors.
  • Preoxygenate.
  • Induction, mask ventilation, and intubation.
  • Surgical preparation/Additional IV access/Antibiotics/Positioning.
  • Surgery/Fluids/hemodynamics/documentation.
  • Emergence/Extubation.
  • Transfer to PACU.

Postoperative Phase

  • Handoff to PACU nurse.
  • Completion of Documentation.
  • Waste/return meds/prepare for the next case.

The daily lectures will be at 12 to 1 p.m. and then at 3 to 4 p.m. You will review your patient’s charts/perform preanesthesia evaluations for inpatients. Discuss the cases/issues/plans with your attending. Your day should be finished by about 5:30 p.m.

You will not take overnight/late call for the first eight weeks. It is expected that you will be prepared for the daily lectures by reading the assigned chapters from the Morgan and Mikhail text.