title: Training, examination, and certification of a thoracic surgeon. A position paper of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.
abstract: The training of a thoracic surgeon is a complex process, requiring a minimum of six to seven years. Reliable examination of the trainee is similarly complex, requiring evaluation by various methods at different periods of time. Great care has been taken to keep the methods of examination free from bias and impartial by making the Residency Review Committee for Thoracic Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery completely independent organizations, unrelated to any other national professional organization. Use of a national professional testing service as a consultant has been a valuable addition to the examination process, which assures that the questions used are reliable and effective and that the results of the examination are objectively assessed. The process of training, examination, and certification of a thoracic surgeon has evolved based on the experience obtained over the past three decades and has repeatedly proved to provide a satisfactory measure of competency in thoracic surgery. It is an achievement of which all thoracic surgeons can feel justly proud. Modifications in the structure and function of the certification process will continue to be made as changes in our medical knowledge occur.
mesh_terms: D002568:Certification; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D004521:Educational Measurement; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D013044:Specialty Boards; D013903:Thoracic Surgery / Q000193:education*; D014481:United States