Perceptions of Training Pathways from Recent Cardiothoracic Surgery Graduates

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Cardiothoracic Surgery

Background:

• Three cardiothoracic surgery (CTS) training pathways exist: traditional (general surgery residency + CTS residency), 4+3 (4 years general surgery + 3 years CTS residency), and integrated 6-year (I-6).
• Understanding early-career surgeon perceptions of these pathways is crucial for future training improvements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey early-career cardiothoracic surgeons about their training experiences and satisfaction.
• To compare perceptions of career preparation and satisfaction across different CTS training pathways.

Main Methods:

• An email-based survey was distributed to cardiothoracic surgeons who graduated between 2012-2017.
• Data collected included training pathway, career preparation, and career satisfaction scores (1-100).

Main Results:

• A 20% response rate (95/477) was achieved, with most respondents (81%) completing the traditional pathway.
• Surgeons reported high mean career preparation (79.8) and satisfaction (87.6).
• When asked about current training, 54.7% would choose traditional, 17.9% would choose 4+3, and 20% would choose I-6; notably, 100% of integrated pathway graduates would choose it again.

Conclusions:

• This study is the first to assess early-career cardiothoracic surgeon perceptions across all training pathways.
• Findings offer valuable insights for enhancing cardiothoracic surgery training programs for future generations.