Program Details

<h3>Clinical Rotations</h3>
As part of our mission for to train the best cardiothoracic surgery residents, we offer a wide range of rotations in all aspects of cardiothoracic surgery. Below you will see a sample of our clinic rotations block schedule along with a description of each of the rotations.

We encourage you to reach out for any questions on our residency program.

Sample Clinical Rotations Senior / Chief Block Schedule

	PGY3	PGY4	PGY5	PGY6
July	Perfusion	Heart Failure	Thoracic	UH Cardiac
August	UH Cardiothoracic	Heart Failure	Thoracic	UH Cardiac
September	Thoracic	UH Cardiothoracic	UH Cardiac	Congenital
October	Thoracic	UH Cardiothoracic	UH Cardiac	Elective
November	UH Cardiothoracic	UH Cardiac	Heart Failure	Thoracic
December	UH Cardiothoracic	UH Cardiac	Heart Failure	Thoracic
January	SICU	Thoracic	Congenital	UH Cardiac
February	Cath Lab	Thoracic	UH Cardiothoracic	UH Cardiac
March	UH Cardiothoracic	UH Cardiac	Thoracic	Heart Failure
April	UH Cardiothoracic	UH Cardiac	Thoracic	Heart Failure
May	UH Cardiac	UH Cardiothoracic	Elective	Thoracic
June	UH Cardiac	Congenital	UH Cardiothoracic	Thoracic

Sample Clinical Rotations Junior Block Schedule

	PGY1	PGY2
July	UH Cardiothoracic	VA Vascular
August	General Surgery	VA Vascular / Methodist
September	Radiology	Methodist / Plastics
October	Anesthesia	Plastics / General Surgery
November	UH Vascular	General Surgery / Methodist
December	Simulation Skills Development	Methodist / Transplant
January	Trauma	Transplant / General Surgery
February	Pulmonary Consult	General Surgery / Trauma
March	General Surgery	Trauma / Surgical Oncology
April	SICU	Surgical Oncology
May	Heart Station	Surgical Oncology / VA CT / Peds
June	Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery	Pediatric Surgery

Description of Clinical Rotations

University Hospital

UH Cardiac – Resident functions as chief of the adult cardiac surgery service at University Hospital. Responsibilities include participating in all available cardiac surgeries (including lung transplant), directing rounds and managing inpatient care for all ICU and ACU cardiac patients, developing plans for and staffing adult cardiac consults, participating in outpatient cardiac and thoracic clinics, and coordinating and reviewing rotating residents from other service lines. Objectives include developing surgical skills, exposure to cardiac surgery, critical care management and leadership abilities. These are typically 2 month rotations, and are reserved for senior residents starting last month of PGY-3 through PGY-6.

UH Cardiothoracic – Resident functions as chief of the adult thoracic surgery service at University Hospital while contributing to adult cardiac service as needed. Responsibilities include participating in all available thoracic surgeries as well as cardiac surgeries (and lung transplants) otherwise uncovered, directing rounds and managing inpatient care for all ICU and ACU thoracic patients, developing plans for and staffing thoracic consults, and participating in outpatient cardiac and thoracic clinics. Objectives include developing surgical skills, exposure to cardiac and thoracic surgery, and critical care management. These are typically 2 month rotations for senior residents from PGY-3 through PGY-6.

Congenital – Resident functions as surgical resident for multidisciplinary Congenital Cardiac service at University Hospital. Responsibilities include participating in all available surgeries, participating in multidisciplinary faculty rounds for pediatric cardiac care unit, and  participating in outpatient clinic. Objectives include understanding complex anatomy and physiology, developing surgical skills, and functioning in a multidisciplinary settings. These are 1 month rotations for senior residents from PGY-3 through PGY-6.

Cath Lab – Resident functions as a junior interventional cardiology fellow. Responsibilities include participating in planning and implementation of all available interventional procedures, and participating in multidisciplinary rounds. Objectives include development of percutaneous and interventional skills while functioning in a multidisciplinary setting. These are 1 month rotations designed for PGY-3 residents.

Methodist Hospital

MHS Thoracic – Resident functions as chief of the thoracic service at Methodist Hospital. Responsibilities include participating in all available thoracic surgeries, rounding on and managing all ICU and ACU patients, developing plans for and staffing consults, and participating in outpatient cardiac and thoracic clinics. Objectives include developing surgical skills, exposure to thoracic surgery, and critical care management. These are typically 2 month rotations for senior residents from PGY-3 through PGY-6.

MHS Heart Failure – Resident functions as surgical resident for multidisciplinary Heart Failure/MCS service at Methodist Hospital. Responsibilities include participating in all available surgeries, participating in multidisciplinary faculty rounds for surgical patients, and participating in outpatient clinic. Objectives include developing surgical skills, knowledge and management of complex physiology, exposure to private practice model, and functioning in a multidisciplinary setting.  These are 2 month rotations for senior residents from PGY-4 through PGY-6.

Elective – Each resident is offered one month during PGY-5 during which time they may pursue a particular interest within UT Health or at an outside institution.

Didactic Teaching Conferences

We have weekly didactic sessions in the form of teaching conferences for junior and senior residents led by our faculty that follow the Thoracic Surgical Curriculum provided by the Society of Thoracic Surgery.

Multidisciplinary Conferences

We have regularly scheduled conferences for specific disease processes often held in conjunction with other services or divisions:

• Structural Heart Conference (w/ Cardiology) – Every Tuesday, 11:30am-12:30pm
• Aortic Conference (w/ Vascular Surgery) – Every 3rd Wednesday, 4:00pm-5:00pm
• Thoracic Tumor Board (w/ Oncology) – Every Monday, 12:00pm-1:00pm
• Methodist Lung Cancer Conference – 2nd / 4th Wednesday each month, 7:00am-8:00am
• Methodist Complex GI Cancer Conference – 1st / 3rd Tuesday each month, 7:00am-8:00am
• Resident Case Conference – 4th Wednesday each month

Grand Rounds

Held every Thursday afternoon, Cardiothoracic Surgery Grand Rounds is a mix of resident presentations and invited speakers from within our institution and from all over the world to come talk about contemporary topics related to cardiothoracic surgery. Attendees include members from other departments in addition to our own faculty, residents and students.

These talks have sparked great discussion on how disease processes are managed, emerging techniques / technology, and our evolving role as cardiothoracic surgeons.  It is also a great opportunity for our residents to get exposure to leaders in the field, as well as an opportunity to show what the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at UT Health San Antonio is about.

Journal Club

Held on the third Tuesday evening of every month, Journal Club is a dinner meeting of the residents and faculty of the Department. Each participant presents a paper from a recent issue of one of the two major journals for our specialty. A critical appraisal is given followed by discussion by the rest of the group. This is a great casual opportunity for residents of all levels to become comfortable speaking to an audience, and everyone on the team getting to spend time together outside of the hospital setting.

The Johnson Center for Surgical Innovation

The Johnson Center for Surgical Innovation (JCSI) was created from collaborative efforts between the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (UTHSCSA), members of the J. Bradley Aust Surgical Society and the Johnson family in honor of Dr. Stewart M. ‘Skeet’ Johnson and Mr. Hugh M. Johnson.

The JCSI is a 1300 square-foot simulation training facility designed to help surgery residents hone their skills in a safe, low-stakes environment. The JCSI is open to all residents 24 X 7 X 365. Additionally, all interns complete a one month dedicated skills lab rotation.

The JCSI is a certified testing site for the SAGES Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS), Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES), and Fundamental Use of Surgical Energy (FUSE) exams.

Wet Lab Simulation

On a quarterly basis, in lieu of Grand Rounds, we arrange a Wet Lab experience. The use of animal tissues for teaching basic surgical skills, along with advanced surgical techniques provides an opportunity for faculty and trainee involvement in teaching in an environment with minimal stress, and a technical discussion that may not be possible in the operating room. We believe that it is a critical component of cardiothoracic surgical training.

 

Resources

1. The TSRA Podcast (Soundcloud)
2. The National Thoracic Surgical Curriculum (TSC)
3. STS Learning Center
4. TSDA Education

Applications

1. ERAS 2021 Residency Timeline
2. NRMP 2021 Main Residency Match Calendar