The Department of Surgery recently hosted the third annual Surgery Boot Camp at UAB. Surgery Boot Camp is a two-week course designed to help fourth-year medical students prepare for their surgical internship year. This year’s event, held March 26 – April 6, saw 15 student participants, all of whom had matched into surgery-related specialties such as general surgery, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery or obstetrics and gynecology.

The UAB Department of Surgery's Surgery Boot Camp attendees learn about robotic surgery.

The students participated in interactive lectures, such as reading X-rays, giving and receiving sign-outs and resident efficiency, as well as skill stations, such as central line placement and chest tube placement, and immersive simulations evaluating surgical patients, such as shortness of breath, chest pain and hypotension. Students also attended sessions on ultrasound basics, laparoscopy, endoscopy, robotics and answering mock nursing pages. The course was well attended by students, resident teachers and faculty instructors, and the evaluations by the students were overwhelmingly positive, according to one of the event’s organizers, Kim Hendershot, M.D.

Hendershot said she is grateful to the UAB Office of Interprofessional Simulation staff for their expertise, assistance and provision of space, as well as the Volker surgical anatomy lab faculty and staff. 

“I am so thankful for all the surgery residents, emergency medicine faculty, nutrition staff and faculty, pharmacy staff and faculty, surgery advanced practice providers and surgery faculty for making the course successful,” Hendershot added.