Vakhtang Tchantchaleishvili1, Damien J LaPar2, David D Odell3, William Stein4, Muhammad Aftab5, Kathleen S Berfield6, Amanda L Eilers7, Shawn S Groth8, John F Lazar9, Michael P Robich5, Asad A Shah10, Danielle A Smith11, Elizabeth H Stephens12, Cameron T Stock13, Walter F DeNino14, Tom C Nguyen15. 1. University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York. 2. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia. 3. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 4. Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. 5. Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio. 6. University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. 7. University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. 8. Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. 9. Pinnacle Health CardioVascular Institute, Harrisbsurg, Pennsylvania. 10. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina. 11. Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois. 12. Columbia University, New York, New York. 13. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. 14. Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina. 15. Memorial Hermann Hospital-Heart and Vascular Institute, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, Texas. Electronic address: tom.c.nguyen@gmail.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The impact of factors influencing career choice by cardiothoracic surgery (CTS) trainees remains poorly defined in the modern era. We sought to examine the associations between CTS trainee characteristics and future career aspirations. METHODS: The 2012 Thoracic Surgery In-Training Examination survey results were used to categorize responders according to career interest: congenital, adult cardiac, mixed cardiac/thoracic, and general thoracic surgery. Univariate and multivariable analyses were used to identify and analyze characteristics associated with career interest categories. RESULTS: With a 100% response rate, 300 responses from trainees in programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education were included in the analysis. Multinomial logistic regression identified three factors associated with career choice in CTS: level of training (p < 0.001), type of training pathway (p < 0.001), and primary motivating factor to pursue CTS (p = 0.002). Trainees interested in general thoracic surgery were more likely to commit to CTS during their senior years of general surgery training and were more likely to enroll in 2-year or 3-year traditional fellowships, whereas individuals pursuing adult or congenital cardiac surgery were more likely to commit earlier during training and were more commonly interested in 6-year integrated or joint training pathways. Moreover, trainees interested in general thoracic surgery were predominantly influenced by early mentorship (p = 0.025 vs adult cardiac), and trainees interested in adult cardiac surgery were more likely to be influenced by types of operations (p = 0.047 vs general thoracic). CONCLUSIONS: Career choice in CTS appears strongly associated with level of training, exposure to mentors, and training paradigm. These results demonstrate the importance of maintaining all four currently approved training pathways to retain balance and diversity in future CTS practices.
BACKGROUND: The impact of factors influencing career choice by cardiothoracic surgery (CTS) trainees remains poorly defined in the modern era. We sought to examine the associations between CTS trainee characteristics and future career aspirations. METHODS: The 2012 Thoracic Surgery In-Training Examination survey results were used to categorize responders according to career interest: congenital, adult cardiac, mixed cardiac/thoracic, and general thoracic surgery. Univariate and multivariable analyses were used to identify and analyze characteristics associated with career interest categories. RESULTS: With a 100% response rate, 300 responses from trainees in programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education were included in the analysis. Multinomial logistic regression identified three factors associated with career choice in CTS: level of training (p < 0.001), type of training pathway (p < 0.001), and primary motivating factor to pursue CTS (p = 0.002). Trainees interested in general thoracic surgery were more likely to commit to CTS during their senior years of general surgery training and were more likely to enroll in 2-year or 3-year traditional fellowships, whereas individuals pursuing adult or congenital cardiac surgery were more likely to commit earlier during training and were more commonly interested in 6-year integrated or joint training pathways. Moreover, trainees interested in general thoracic surgery were predominantly influenced by early mentorship (p = 0.025 vs adult cardiac), and trainees interested in adult cardiac surgery were more likely to be influenced by types of operations (p = 0.047 vs general thoracic). CONCLUSIONS: Career choice in CTS appears strongly associated with level of training, exposure to mentors, and training paradigm. These results demonstrate the importance of maintaining all four currently approved training pathways to retain balance and diversity in future CTS practices.
Authors: Jessica G Y Luc; Alejandro Pizano; Farhad Udwadia; Saurabh Gupta; Mohammed Dairywala; Catherine Joyce; Emily Robinson; Grahame Rush; Joel Dunning; Patrick O Myers; Mara B Antonoff; Tom C Nguyen Journal: J Thorac Dis Date: 2022-09 Impact factor: 3.005
Authors: Alexander A Brescia; Clauden Louis; Jessica G Y Luc; Garrett N Coyan; Jason J Han; David Blitzer; Fatima G Wilder; Curtis S Bergquist; Jordan P Bloom; Rishindra M Reddy; Gurjit Sandhu; J Hunter Mehaffey Journal: JTCVS Open Date: 2022-05-13