Introduction: The global demand for neurosurgical services is rising due to increasing patient volumes and case complexity. Integrating Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) like physician assistants and nurse practitioners into surgical teams is shown to improve cost-effectiveness overall. However, many APPs lack specialized training for optimal neurosurgical care. Therefore, we implemented a series of neurosurgery APP “bootcamps” at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest simulation center, aiming to enhance APP proficiency through immersive training.
Methods: A 1-day Neurosurgical Advanced Practice Provider (NAPP) boot camp was held on 10/20/2023 and 10/18/2024. Morning and afternoon sessions included grand rounds, lectures, and skills labs. The pilot boot camp was attended by 25 Northwestern APPs, and the second boot camp was attended by 29 APPs across 5 healthcare systems. Participants completed pre- and post-event surveys to evaluate skill and knowledge improvements and identify areas for boot camp enhancement.
Results: Twelve participants responded to the pilot post-event survey, comprising 7 PA-Cs, 3 APRN-CNPs, 1 RN, and 1 from another role. Respondents rated all sessions significantly high, with 44% requesting more anatomy lectures. To date, 18 participants have responded to the second event survey, including 10 PA-Cs, 7 APRN-CNPs, and 1 RN, with all sessions being well-received. APP confidence increased significantly following basic and advanced suturing, lumbar drain placement, pedicle screw system, and VR anatomy skills labs (p-value < 0.05). The new additions of advanced suturing and VR anatomy reflected substantial increases in confidence (Cohen’s d: 0.40, 1.15; p-value < 0.01), with 28% of participants desiring additional time in these areas.
Conclusion : The significant improvements in APP knowledge, particularly in advanced suturing and VR anatomy, underscore the effectiveness of immersive training methods. Based on the substantial benefits observed from these sessions, we intend to integrate more advanced simulation in future bootcamps such as VR operating room duplicates, thus further enhancing APP proficiency and improving patient outcomes.
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