Program Goals 
Adult Cardiac
Adult Cardiac I (3 months)
- Development of basic cardiac surgical skills. Including but not limited to the ability to harvest the internal mammary arteries, radial arteries, saphenous veins, and other coronary artery bypass conduits. The ability to cannulate and establish cardiopulmonary bypass. The development of similar skills in the pediatric cardiac surgical arena.
- A detailed working knowledge of the physiology and mechanics of cardiopulmonary bypass and the logistics of the bypass pump.
- Mastery of pacemaker and ICD insertion and programming.
- Development of intensive care management skills.
- Development of management skills for Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs) and cardiac and pulmonary transplant recipients.
- Ability to interpret thoracic radiographic evaluations, coronary angiograms, and echocardiograms.
- Ability to succinctly present patient problems and review and present salient journal articles in a cogent and discriminatory manner.
- The ability to manage cardiothoracic emergencies, including controlled emergency thoracotomies.
- Development of a routine that includes reading appropriate textbooks, specialty journals, and use of audiovisual educational material on a regular basis, as well as the ability to critique one's own fund of knowledge and identify areas in need of improvement.
- The ability to explain cardiothoracic pathology and the details of perioperative management to patients and their families in an understandable, compassionate manner.
- The ability to critically assess the risk-benefit and cost effectiveness of various diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.
- The maintenance of the highest degree of professionalism and ethical standards in the care of patients and in interactions with colleagues and other hospital staff.
Adult Cardiac II (3 months)
- Increased technical experience in all aspects of adult cardiac surgery, including valve replacement and repair, on- and off-pump coronary bypass surgery, aortic surgery, and heart failure surgery.
- Assist the chief resident in the assessment and management of all service patients, under the direct supervision of the service cardiac surgical attending.
- Ability to succinctly present patient problems and review and present salient journal articles in a cogent and discriminatory manner.
- Resident teaching.
- Development of patient presentation and public speaking skills.
- Participation in clinical study designs and implementation.
- Further refinement of the fund of knowledge, through reading of appropriate textbooks, specialty journals, and use of audiovisual educational material, toward preparation for board exams in adult cardiac surgery, and identification of areas in need of improvement.
- The ability to explain cardiothoracic pathology and the details of perioperative management to patients and families in an understandable, compassionate manner.
- The ability to critically assess the risk-benefit and cost effectiveness of various diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.
- The maintenance of the highest degree of professionalism and ethical standards in the care of patients and families and in interactions with colleagues and other hospital staff.
Adult Cardiac III (6 months)
- Refinement of adult cardiac surgical skills, supervisory management of preoperative, postoperative, and intensive patient care.
- Responsibility for the assessment and management of all service patients, under the direct supervision of the service cardiac surgical attending.
- Special focus on cardiac and pulmonary transplantation, LVADs, aortic surgery, and valve surgery.
- Ability to succinctly present patient problems and review and present salient journal articles in a cogent and discriminatory manner.
- Resident teaching.
- Development of patient presentation and public speaking skills.
- Participation in clinical study designs and implementation.
- Administrative responsibility for allocation of operating room manpower, grand rounds, and resident teaching conferences.
- Continued commitment to learning, including mastery of important literature in each area of interest, and the incorporation of these articles and other sources of clinical data in the development of personal approaches to various clinical scenarios. Final preparation for board exams.
- The ability to explain cardiothoracic pathology and the details of perioperative management to patients and families in an understandable, compassionate manner.
- The ability to critically assess the risk-benefit and cost effectiveness of various diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.
- The maintenance of the highest degree of professionalism and ethical standards in the care of patients and families and in interactions with colleagues and other hospital staff.
