The breeding and feeding of thoracic surgeons

A brief recapitulation of the history of The American Board of Thoracic Surgery reveals that in its 27-year lifetime it has strived to improve the quality of thoracic surgical training. Most recently the Board has decided that candidates from unapproved programs who begin their training after June 30, 1976, will be ineligible for the Board examination. A population of approximately 2,000 thoracic surgeons should be more than adequate to provide patient care in the United Sates. At the present rate of certification the thoracic surgeon population would number about 4,000 within 25 years. With the birth rate in the United States nearing zero population growth, the number of new thoracic surgeons trained and certified each year must be limited, and it is imperative that the profession rather than the federal government be in control of this. Continuing education and evaluation of clinical competence will soon be required in the specialty of thoracic surgery. Cooperation among the major groups concerned with thoracic surgery is necessary for successful development of continuing education and the necessary evaluation of competence.