Schedule

The Thoracic Surgery Residency is a fully-accredited ACGME two-year training program. The program is clinically oriented with a strong educational commitment coupled with clinical research opportunities.

During the first year, residents rotate on both the cardiac and thoracic services, spending approximately half their time on each service. A two-week introduction to the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) is scheduled early in the year. Towards the end of the first year of residency, the resident will select whether to continue on the cardiothoracic or general thoracic track during the second year, if appropriate within the constructs of the current makeup of the program. The second year will then be designed around the needs of the resident to meet the required case numbers for their designated track, as defined by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS). Also during the second year, a congenital cardiac surgery rotation will be arranged, typically at an away location, to supplement to congenital experience at ECU/Vidant Medical Center.

The curriculum follows the Thoracic Surgery Director’s Association (TSDA) standard curriculum and covers the entire curriculum over the two-year period of the residency program. The curriculum is assigned on a weekly basis, along with self-evaluation quizzes and a discussion is held twice monthly with an assigned faculty member.

The program incorporates multiple educational conferences held on a weekly, bi-monthly, and monthly basis. These conferences include, but are not limited to, Grand Rounds, Journal Club, Morbidity and Mortality, Thoracic Oncology Tumor Board, and Catheterization Conference.

Each resident is required to participate in a clinical research project. An annual research day is coordinated by the GME office and residents are expected to submit their research to this conference. Residents are encouraged to submit their work to regional and national conferences, and for publication. In addition, our department is involved in multiple, large-scale clinical trials and many smaller, single-center projects.

Year 1 (All)

Year 2 (Cardiac)

Year 2 (Thoracic)