title: Congenital cardiac surgery fellowship training: A status update.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 2007, congenital cardiac surgery became a recognized fellowship by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and leads to board certification through the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS). We highlight the strengths and weaknesses in the current system of accredited training.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected from program directors, the ACGME, and the ABTS. In addition, surveys were sent to training program graduates. Topics included program accreditation status, number of fellows trained per year and per program, match results, fellow operative experience, fellow satisfaction, and post-fellowship employment status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There are twelve active accredited fellowship programs, and 44 trainees have completed accredited training. Each active program has trained a median of 3 fellows (range: 0-7). Operative logs were obtained from 38 of 44 (86%) graduates. The median number of total cases (minimum 75) was 136 (range: 75-236). For complex neonates (minimum 5), the median number of cases was 6 (range: 2-17). Some fellows failed to meet the minimum requirements. Thirty-six (82%) graduates responded to the survey; most were satisfied with their overall operative experience, but less with their neonatal operative experience. Of this total, 84% are currently practicing congenital cardiac surgery, and 74% secured jobs prior to completing their residency.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Since 2007, congenital cardiac surgery training has been accredited by the ACGME. In general, the training is uniform, the operative experience is robust, and the fellows are satisfied. Although shortcomings remain, this study highlights the many strengths of the current system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, Ga. Electronic address: Bkogon@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kogon
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif.
authors.forename: Tara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karamlou
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Baumgartner
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Merrill
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill.
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Backer
mesh_terms: D000068:Accreditation; D000328:Adult; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002568:Certification; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005257:Fellowships and Scholarships; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013903:Thoracic Surgery / Q000193:education*; D014481:United States
keywords: Congenital cardiac surgery; fellowship training