General Surg. or Thoracic?

[Romanella]

Hi. I am wondering what the differences (if any) are between gen. surg. residencies and thoracic. Are they both the same amount of years, difficulty levels, etc...? Which would you take to become a cardiothoracic surg.? Would it be just thoracic or both thoracic & general surgery? Thanks a ton in advance!

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[The Pill Counter]

cardiothoracic is a fellowship done optionally after general surgery (usually two years) for a total of 7+ years

 

[droliver]

Actually, as of Dec. 2001 you do not have to finish surgery to be eligible to start cardiothoracic fellowships. This is the first step in a planned integrated 6-7 year residency
(much like what is available with about 50% of the Plastic surgery training spots) which should see the first spots offered somewhere in a couple of years