1. References Results Conclusions Figures/Graphs The Impact of Interdisciplinary Education on Skills and Attitudes of Emergency Medicine & General Surgery Residents Background Methods The aim of the study is to assess the perceptions of EM and GS residents of one another’s specialty, and how these perceptions are impacted by IES. A secondary aim is to examine the effect of implementation of IES for teaching common procedural skills. Prospective study at an urban level I trauma center. Participants: PGY 1-4 Emergency Medicine Residents (EMR) PGY 1-5 General Surgery Residents (GSR) IES were developed to provide residents with didactic and skills training for FAST exams and tube thoracostomy with faculty from both EM and GS. A 20-question survey was designed using a 5 point Likert scale (1=Never/Strongly Disagree; 5=Always/Strongly Agree) to assess the participants perception of the other specialty; this was given to residents before and after the IES. Core perceptions assessed were the impact of IES on patient care, skills training, respect/communication, satisfaction with sessions, and comfort with material. A T-test was used to compare survey responses before and after the IES (p <0.05 considered significant). Objective Fifteen EMR and 7 GSR participated in the IES. We found that pre-IES, 80% of EMR reported rarely or never learning how to perform procedures with GSR; post-IES, only 40% reported this (mean Likert pre vs post: 2.1 vs 2.8 p=0.006). Similarly, 53% of EMR reported being insulted by GSR; post-IES only 27% reported this (3.4 vs 2.9 p=0.048). Only 13% of EMR felt respected by GSR pre-IES; post- IES this rose to 40% (3.0 vs 3.4 p=0.03). We also found that pre-IES, 29% of senior EMR (n=7) reported comfort with troubleshooting a chest tube; post-IES this grew to 71% (2.9 vs 3.9 p=0.03). Comfort managing Pleur-E vac also improved from 29% pre-IES to 71 % post IES (3.0 v 4.0 p=0.003). We demonstrate that IES have a positive impact on trainee confidence levels. IES may also lead to higher levels of respect among specialists, and may foster a more collegial educational environment for residents. 1. Fowler MJ. Microvascular and Macrovascular Complications of Diabetes. Clin Diabetes. 2008;26(2):77-82. doi:10.2337/diaclin.26.2.77. 2. Carls GS, Gibson TB, Driver VR, et al. The economic value of specialized lower-extremity medical care by podiatric physicians in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 101(2):93-115. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21406693. Accessed August 17, 2015. Neil King MD †, Ilya Ostrovsky MD ‡, Anastasia Kunac MD †, Aziz Merchant MD †, Tiffany Murano MD ‡ Rutgers New Jersey Medical School † Department of Surgery ‡ Department of Emergency Medicine Although interdisciplinary medical teams are a mainstay in modern medicine, interdisciplinary educational sessions (IES) are uncommon. IES has been described in the educational literature, however we have been unable to find an interdisciplinary outline for skills education for General Surgery (GS) and Emergency Medicine (EM).