Content of thoracic residency training and its relevance to the practice of medicine.
BACKGROUND
The Thoracic Surgery Directors Association (TSDA) curriculum book provides learning objectives for a thoracic surgery residency. Our purpose was to evaluate the relevance of these objectives through feedback from recent graduates.


METHODS
Graduates of multiple TSDA programs were mailed a 50-item questionnaire. Survey items were objectives from the TSDA curriculum book representing six areas of thoracic surgery. Graduates rated each objective for adequacy of instruction and relevance to their current practice on Likert-type scales.


RESULTS
Two hundred twenty-eight surveys were included in the analysis. Despite excellent operating room education, graduates across subspecialty lines reported the need for improved education in "nonoperative" subjects. Graduates practicing cardiac surgery reported little relevance of their general thoracic educational experience. Conversely, graduates practicing general thoracic surgery expressed the need for more/better educational experiences in thoracic oncology and esophageal surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
Contemporary thoracic surgical education can be improved. A strong need for improvement exists in the teaching of "nonoperative" subjects. As graduates elect careers in thoracic subspecialties, a need exists to align thoracic surgery educational experiences with ultimate career goals of residents.
DaRosa
D A
DA
Department of Surgery, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA. ddarosa@nmh.org
Fullerton
D A
DA
Kron
I L
IL
Orringer
M B
MB
D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards; D007396:Internship and Residency; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching / Q000592:standards; D013903:Thoracic Surgery / Q000193:education*; D014481:United States