Marketability of testamur versus full-fledged perioperative TEE status?

[ecCA1]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

For private practice hearts, will testamur status suffice or are people in need of the complete package in order to be competitive for a position?

Thanks.

 

[UTSouthwestern]

It is helpful to have the testamur status, but the full certification shows that you have extensive experience with hearts (i.e., not just 50-100 hearts in residency).

In all honesty, unless the group you would be joining under those circumstances is willing to spend time training you, you would also be doing a disservice to your patients.

Therefore you would be more competitive with full certification unless you can show that you have extensive experience with cardiac cases (i.e. documented cases).

Still, there are many places that you could do hearts at without that extensive experience, simply because the place needs someone willing to do hearts (see Oklahoma City).

 

[starsop93]

It is helpful to have the testamur status, but the full certification shows that you have extensive experience with hearts (i.e., not just 50-100 hearts in residency).

Yikes, does anyone do 50-100 hearts in residency???

I doubt there is a big difference in what groups like as far as certification vs testamur for TEE. I suspect the big difference comes if you got certified AND did a cardiac fellowship, which will be the only way to get certified soon anyway.

 

[militarymd]

It is helpful to have the testamur status, but the full certification shows that you have extensive experience with hearts (i.e., not just 50-100 hearts in residency).

Yikes, does anyone do 50-100 hearts in residency???

I doubt there is a big difference in what groups like as far as certification vs testamur for TEE. I suspect the big difference comes if you got certified AND did a cardiac fellowship, which will be the only way to get certified soon anyway.

I did...and I was in a military training program (low numbers)....although that was a long time ago.

 

[bigeyedfish]

Yikes, does anyone do 50-100 hearts in residency???

I doubt there is a big difference in what groups like as far as certification vs testamur for TEE. I suspect the big difference comes if you got certified AND did a cardiac fellowship, which will be the only way to get certified soon anyway.

The CA3's at my program this year are graduating with between 50 to 60.

 

[Sevo]

I did close to 150 hearts. Ours, unfortunately, was a work program. We were forced to do six months of hearts because the CRNAs refused to do them. Once I finished, I never wanted to work in a room that had a pump in it, much less do another double lung or VAD replacement.