TY - JOUR
T1 - Congenital cardiac surgery fellowship training
T2 - A status update Read at the 41st Annual Meeting of the Western Thoracic Surgical Association, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, June 24-27, 2015.
AU - Kogon, Brian
AU - Karamlou, Tara
AU - Baumgartner, William
AU - Merrill, Walter
AU - Backer, Carl
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2016 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery.
PY - 2016/6/1
Y1 - 2016/6/1
N2 - Background In 2007, congenital cardiac surgery became a recognized fellowship by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and leads to board certification through the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS). We highlight the strengths and weaknesses in the current system of accredited training. Methods Data were collected from program directors, the ACGME, and the ABTS. In addition, surveys were sent to training program graduates. Topics included program accreditation status, number of fellows trained per year and per program, match results, fellow operative experience, fellow satisfaction, and post-fellowship employment status. Results There are twelve active accredited fellowship programs, and 44 trainees have completed accredited training. Each active program has trained a median of 3 fellows (range: 0-7). Operative logs were obtained from 38 of 44 (86%) graduates. The median number of total cases (minimum 75) was 136 (range: 75-236). For complex neonates (minimum 5), the median number of cases was 6 (range: 2-17). Some fellows failed to meet the minimum requirements. Thirty-six (82%) graduates responded to the survey; most were satisfied with their overall operative experience, but less with their neonatal operative experience. Of this total, 84% are currently practicing congenital cardiac surgery, and 74% secured jobs prior to completing their residency. Conclusions Since 2007, congenital cardiac surgery training has been accredited by the ACGME. In general, the training is uniform, the operative experience is robust, and the fellows are satisfied. Although shortcomings remain, this study highlights the many strengths of the current system.
AB - Background In 2007, congenital cardiac surgery became a recognized fellowship by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and leads to board certification through the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS). We highlight the strengths and weaknesses in the current system of accredited training. Methods Data were collected from program directors, the ACGME, and the ABTS. In addition, surveys were sent to training program graduates. Topics included program accreditation status, number of fellows trained per year and per program, match results, fellow operative experience, fellow satisfaction, and post-fellowship employment status. Results There are twelve active accredited fellowship programs, and 44 trainees have completed accredited training. Each active program has trained a median of 3 fellows (range: 0-7). Operative logs were obtained from 38 of 44 (86%) graduates. The median number of total cases (minimum 75) was 136 (range: 75-236). For complex neonates (minimum 5), the median number of cases was 6 (range: 2-17). Some fellows failed to meet the minimum requirements. Thirty-six (82%) graduates responded to the survey; most were satisfied with their overall operative experience, but less with their neonatal operative experience. Of this total, 84% are currently practicing congenital cardiac surgery, and 74% secured jobs prior to completing their residency. Conclusions Since 2007, congenital cardiac surgery training has been accredited by the ACGME. In general, the training is uniform, the operative experience is robust, and the fellows are satisfied. Although shortcomings remain, this study highlights the many strengths of the current system.
KW - Congenital cardiac surgery
KW - fellowship training
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84961226977&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84961226977&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2016.02.039
DO - 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2016.02.039
M3 - Article
C2 - 27002229
AN - SCOPUS:84961226977
SN - 0022-5223
VL - 151
SP - 1488
EP - 1495
JO - Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
JF - Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
IS - 6
ER -