P3.Q330: A Comprehensive Simulation Curriculum for Neonatology Fellows

Background: Caring for critically ill patients demands specialized training to acquire both technical and non-technical skills, often presenting steep learning curves for critical care trainee physicians.Simulation-based learning can provide a safe learning environment for obtaining necessary skills and offers more predictability and control over the learning experience. To enhance the learning experience and improve learner satisfaction for neonatology fellows, we designed and implemented a comprehensive neonatology simulation curriculum.

Methods: Neonatology fellows and faculty champions were identified to establish a neonatal simulation team. All team members received formal simulation and debriefing training via the Center for Experiential Learning and Simulation (CELS) at the University of Florida (UF). Using Kern’s 6 steps of curriculum development, we conducted a general and targeted needs assessment and used this to design a comprehensive simulation curriculum for neonatology fellows at the University of Florida Shands program. The curriculum covers 54 unique scenarios targeting core and rare scenarios in neonatal care organized by physiologic system (pulmonology, cardiology, neurology, maternal-fetal medicine, hematology, GI/nutrition, infectious disease, endocrinology and palliative care) to be conducted over 3 years of fellowship training. Post-curriculum implementation annual surveys for participants were conducted to evaluate impact on fellow’s learning experience and satisfaction.

Results: The curriculum was established and implemented in July 2022 with neonatology fellows participating in two simulation and debriefing sessions per month. Nine neonatology fellows participated in the first year. Following the curriculum's implementation, most fellows reported the curriculum fostered confidence in decision-making, knowledge retention, communication skills, motivation to learn, and reduced anxiety in clinical encounters. The majority of fellows also noted an increased awareness of simulation resources available at our institution and were satisfied with protected time for participation in simulation and instructor knowledge and capabilities during simulation sessions.

Conclusion: Our simulation curriculum enhanced the neonatology fellowship training experience by improving trainee confidence, communication skills, knowledge acquisition, motivation to learn and anxiety reduction in clinical encounters.