Preparatory surgical bootcamp: An effective form of training with a positive impact on self-confidence and procedural skills of the residents.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of a bootcamp for new residents in surgery, in terms of both knowledge and skills improvement and psychological support. Design: Prospective inclusion of all the 59 new residents in surgery from 2018 to 2020. Analysis of their perception of the training and comparison of the bootcamp and control groups ( Setting: A two-day bootcamp is organized every year in October since 2013 at the All'Sims simulation center (University Hospital, Angers, France) just before the beginning of the internship. A subsequent skills evaluation takes place partly in the operating room and partly as an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Participants: New residents from the different surgical specialties and gynecology, after having given their written consent. Results: Among the 50 residents who attended the bootcamp, knowledge in surgical skills improved by 10% ( Conclusion: Preparatory courses are of great interest for all surgical specialties as they improve procedural skills and knowledge as well as self-confidence during the first weeks of a resident's internship. As medical training continues to vary significantly between the different universities, such surgical curricula should be developed at a national level to standardize the surgical level of all new residents.