(I copied and pasted this from the following site:
http://aats.org/mssr/CT-Surgery-Training-Pathways.cgi)
Currently, there are three RRC approved training pathways in Cardiothoracic Surgery, including: (1) Independent Programs (also known as Traditional Pathway, 5 years of general surgery, plus 2-3 years cardiothoracic surgery residency); 2) Joint Thoracic/General Surgery Track (also known as Fast-track Pathway — 4 years of general surgery, plus 3 years cardiothoracic surgery residency); all completed at one institution; 3) Integrated Pathway (6 years cardiothoracic surgery residency). The application process, curriculum, and board certifications involved in each of these pathways vary dramatically.
Traditional Training Pathway (5 years General Surgery, 2-3 years Cardiothoracic Surgery)
Medical students apply to and complete a general surgery residency program (5 clinical years), consisting of clinical rotations through the various surgical disciplines. Many academic-based training programs either encourage or require one or two years of academic research (6-7 years general surgery training). During the fourth general surgery clinical training year, residents apply for a residency position in cardiothoracic surgery. Clinical training in cardiothoracic surgery varies between 2 and 3 years in length. Following successful completion of training, residents are able to apply for certification by both the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. Additional experience, if desired, can be obtained in a number of different fellowship opportunities, including heart failure/transplantation, thoracic aortic surgery, congenital heart surgery, or thoracic surgery. The ACGME website provides a listing of independent thoracic surgery residency programs.
Fast-track Pathway (4 years of General Surgery, 3 years Cardiothoracic Surgery)
Medical students apply to one of the participating general surgery residency programs that offer a fast-track pathway. Residents interested in fast-track programs generally apply after their second year of general surgery residency, although at many institutions the application process is informal, involving discussions between the general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery program directors. For a given institution’s fast-track program, only general surgery residents at that same institution are eligible. Residents who complete this track are eligible for board certification by both the American Board of Surgery (after General Surgery Training) and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. Residents continue to have exposure to the different fields of surgery before deciding on cardiothoracic surgery (and conversely programs can assess residents’ performance in general surgery) and residents maintain the experience of the general surgery chief resident year. A current list of approved programs can always be found in the latest edition of the Thoracic Surgery RRC newsletter at
http://www.acgme.org/acWebsite/RRC_460_News/460n_Index.asp.
As of October 1, 2009 the current list of approved institutions with a Joint Thoracic/General Surgery Track is:
Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Children’s Hospital
Duke University
Massachusetts General Hospital
Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education (Rochester)
New York University School of Medicine
University of Maryland
University of Rochester
University of Virginia
University of Washington
Washington University School of Medicine
Additional information about this pathway can be found at:
http://www.acgme.org/acWebsite/RRC_sharedDocs/sh_jointSurgThorSurg.pdf.
Integrated Pathway (6 years Cardiothoracic Surgery)
Medical students apply directly to an integrated cardiothoracic surgery residency program, similar to standard applications for other residency programs. Integrated programs allow both more focused cardiothoracic training, as well as training in fields allied with cardiothoracic surgery that are important to an interdisciplinary approach to cardiovascular and thoracic disease. More specifically, the overarching objective of this training program is to provide a more comprehensive and rational total immersion in the diagnosis and management of all aspects of cardiovascular and thoracic diseases through multi-disciplinary training, including rotations in interventional radiology, interventional cardiology, endovascular surgery, oncology, and pulmonary disease. Integrated programs also allow for more training in new technologies such as robotics and minimally invasive approaches. Upon completion of an integrated residency, residents are eligible to sit for American Board of Thoracic Surgery certification, but not for the American Board of Surgery certification. The ACGME website provides a listing of independent thoracic surgery residency programs under the category “Thoracic Surgery-Integrated.”
As of May, 2010 the current list of approved programs is:
Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals Program
Medical University of South Carolina
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Stanford University
University of Maryland
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Pennsylvania
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
University of Washington