Modern management of Cardiac and Thoracic surgical patients demand a high standard of knowledge and skills, not only in Cardiothoracic Surgery, but also in Cardiology, Cardiac Electrophysiology, Interventional Cardiology, Anaesthesia, Intensive Care, Pulmonology and many other specialties and need a multidisciplinary, conceptual approach. Therefore a highly specialized and a comprehensive training is required for the surgeons who select to practice this specialty.
Cardiothoracic Surgery is the specialty of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, evaluation and surgical management of diseases of the heart, lungs and chest. Cardiothoracic surgeons undertake surgical treatment of a wide range of serious conditions, and Cardiothoracic operations tend to be major and often complex procedures. Many of these operations require support from advanced forms of technology, such as cardiopulmonary bypass, invasive monitoring and minimally invasive equipment. Because of the serious nature of the conditions and the scale of the operations, many Cardiothoracic patients need care in an intensive therapy unit, and Cardiothoracic Surgeons need to be proficient in this aspect of their patients’ care too.
Cardiothoracic Surgeons generally work closely with their colleagues in Cardiology, Respiratory Medicine, Oncological Medicine, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care. They also have close professional relationships with other non-medical staff such as perfusionists, intensive care staff and operating department personnel.
A Cardiothoracic Surgeon is a specialized doctor who has obtained additional education and experience in the multidisciplinary approach to the, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of Cardiac and Thoracic patients, and who devotes his or her professional practice to these activities and to Cardiothoracic research.
The Specialty Board in Cardiothoracic and Thoracic Surgery (SBCTS) is the subspecialty board under Board of Study in Surgery (BOSS) which is responsible in training and assessing Cardiothoracic and Thoracic Surgical trainees.
The programme is designed to provide the type of training that would equip the final product to surgically treat various types of Cardiac and Thoracic diseases of the human body through a multidisciplinary approach. It is expected that the fully trained specialist would be up-to-date with all recent developments in the field of Cardiothoracic Surgery and would be in a position to provide holistic care for those patients who need the expertise of a Specialist Cardiothoracic Surgeon to minimize mortality and morbidity of such patients. The curriculum that has been planned and elucidated later on in this document has incorporated a myriad of training activities that need to be undertaken over the full period of training
The exit outcomes of the training programme are as follows:
- Patient care.
- Medical knowledge.
- Interpersonal and communication skills.
- Professionalism.
- Practice-based and Evidence-based approach.
The candidate should have fulfilled following criteria to be eligible to enter the training programme in Cardiothoracic Surgery.
- Passed the relevant MD Surgery Examination.
- Should not have been Board Certified by the PGIM in any Specialty or Subspecialty.
Please refer to the relevant prospectus for the most up to date information. The prospectus of a particular programme contains official information pertaining to a programme approved by the Board of Management, University Senate and the University Grants Commission