The American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons Plastic Surgery Boot Camp Program: Evaluation of the University of Pittsburgh's Three Year Experience

Background: The American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons (ACAPS) Plastic Surgery Boot Camp program was introduced in July 2015 in Pittsburgh and was expanded to four regional sites thanks to standardized presentations, increased practical sessions, and streamlined evaluations. The aim of this study was to evaluate our ACAPS Plastic Surgery Boot Camp experience over the past three years and the impact it had on participant performance.

Methods: Over the past three years a total of 119 residents (99 Integrated / 20 Independent) attended the Boot Camp in Pittsburgh. Lecture topics and practical sessions covered the full spectrum of plastic surgery. All participants completed pre- and post- evaluation surveys with mean scores being reported as percentages and analyzed using ANOVA.


Results: The evaluation of Boot Camp participants increased over the past three years (2015=80%, 2016=91%, 2017=94%, p<0.001). Participants reported a statistical improvement in the Boot Camp being appropriate for the level of learning (2015=82%, 2016=90%, 2017=92%, p=0.017), and improving medical knowledge (2015=74%, 2016=88%, 2017=92%, p<0.001), technical skills (2015=74%, 2016=82%, 2017=90%, p=0.001), judgement skills (2015=74%, 2016=82%, 2017=86%, p=0.017) and confidence (2015=76%, 2016=86%, 2017=88%, p=0.008). Participants demonstrated improvement in all taught plastic surgery topics including craniofacial, hand, breast, and microsurgery. Participants reported the lowest improvement in communication skills, professionalism, and accountability.  

Conclusion: The ACAPS Plastic Surgery Boot Camp has proved successful in introducing core concepts in plastic surgery to new residents. The implementation of an improved curriculum in response to participants’ feedback has increased participant performance and evaluation over the past three years.