title: Medical School Surgical Boot Camps: A Systematic Review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Many medical schools have begun to offer surgical boot camps to senior medical students. The aim of the present study is to systematically review the literature and evidence surrounding medical school surgical boot camps to direct future research into the effectiveness of boot camps.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic review was conducted, searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and ERIC. The review was conducted according to the PICOTS structure, with an intervention of a surgical boot camp for senior medical students entering surgical residencies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The search resulted in 5351 database hits, from which we identified 10 published studies that met the inclusion criteria. Two reviews were identified that met the PICOTS criteria but were excluded from data synthesis. Boot camps increase the confidence and competence of medical students entering their surgical internships. There is no objective assessment of the effect of boot camps on the clinical performance of interns.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the success of medical school surgical boot camps, no objective data exist to show that boot camps translate into improved performance during internship.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Neylan
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Elizabeth F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Penn Medicine Simulation Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Electronic address: dumonk@uphs.upenn.edu.
authors.forename: Kristoffel R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Dumon
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Surgical Education, Department of Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Jon B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Surgical Education, Department of Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Noel N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Daniel T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Dempsey
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Surgical Education, Department of Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Rachel R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Kelz
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Carla S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Steven R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Allen
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D002982:Clinical Clerkship / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Medical Knowledge; Patient Care; Practice-Based Learning and Improvement; capstone course; surgical boot camp; surgical education; undergraduate medical education