Improving Procedural Skill Confidence in Pediatric Residents: A Longitudinal Simulation-Based Workshop Curriculum

INTRODUCTION: Exit surveys among our pediatric residency graduates found 50% were not confident performing required procedures. While procedural competency poses many curricular challenges, simulation is an effective educational modality many programs have adopted, though often only through onetime workshops limited to single procedures, clinical settings, or levels of training. We sought to develop a comprehensive, recurring, yearlong, simulation-based curriculum covering many important pediatric procedures. METHODS: We created a longitudinal curriculum of recurring monthly workshops using both low- and high-fidelity simulators, highlighting 17 pediatric procedures. Comprehensive facilitator guides contained equipment lists, instructions, competency checklists, and quizzes for each workshop. Correlation between attendance and confidence was assessed for skills in which residents attended two or more workshops on the same skill. ACGME exit surveys compared graduates’ confidence regarding procedural skills before and after curriculum implementation. RESULTS: On exit surveys, graduates who agreed or strongly agreed to feeling comfortable with the procedures in our curriculum improved from 50% to 66% after 2 years, and those who disagreed or strongly disagreed decreased from 40% to 22%. A positive correlation existed between repeated workshop attendance and confidence in many procedures (R(2) range, .60–.99). DISCUSSION: Longitudinal simulation is an effective educational modality that increases learner confidence in performing procedures. Our curriculum addresses adult learners’ need for repetition and can be adopted by other programs to improve graduates’ confidence. The curriculum's sustainability is underscored by use of cost-reducing low-fidelity simulators and comprehensive guides that allow any instructor to conduct the workshop.