Our fully accredited ACGME program:

• Is designed to emphasize that thoracic surgeons diagnose and treat lifelong disease states in cooperation with other primary and specialty physicians (multidisciplinary teams) and function within the healthcare system which has economic and long-term outcome goals (systems-based practice).
  
  
• Encompasses the whole spectrum of cardiac and non-cardiac thoracic surgery including complex adult surgery, pediatric cardiac surgery, surgery for arrhythmia, aortic surgery, and heart transplantation.
  
  
  
  Core Program Organization
  

  DESCRIPTION OF THE THORACIC SURGERY RESIDENCY PROGRAM

  This is the Oregon Health & Science University Thoracic Surgery Residency Two-Year Independent Program. The overall educational goals of this ACGME-accredited Thoracic Residency training program are to develop excellence in the provision of cardiothoracic surgical diagnosis and treatment and to provide the ability to critically analyze and advance the field. The scope of excellence includes the recommendation and conduct of procedures outlined in the American Board of Thoracic Surgery Operative Case Requirements together with appropriate recognition and management of complications and factors bearing on long-term outcome.  See http://www.abts.org/sections/Certification/Operative_Requiremen/index.html.

  The OHSU Thoracic Surgery Residency two-year educational program is designed to emphasize that cardiothoracic surgeons diagnose and treat lifelong disease states in cooperation with other primary and specialty physicians (multidisciplinary teams) and function within a health care system which has economic and long-term outcome goals (systems-based practice). These disease states are variably understood and their treatment is in constant evolution driven by basic and clinical research stimulated by knowledge gained from increasing clinical experience (practice-based medicine). It is expected that the resident will achieve competence [as defined by the separately developed criteria elaborated in the OHSU Physician Performance Diagnostic Index (PPDI)] in all major goals outlined in the ACGME outcomes project and will leave the program with the tools for lifelong learning and growth as a person, as a surgeon and as a collaborator in the interdisciplinary system of health care delivery.

  Program Goals:

  • Structured Education: We seek to provide structured education in all aspects of thoracic surgery so that residents complete their training with exceptional knowledge that will help them practice “evidence-based” thoracic surgery.
  • Technical Surgical Skills and Judgment: Coaching to develop technical surgical skills and judgment that will enable the residents to confidently, skillfully and thoughtfully make important decisions and engage in the types of complex surgical procedures that comprise the practice of thoracic surgery.
  • Ingenuity and Creativity: Stimulation of the residents ingenuity and creativity such that they will be willing to make contributions to the field of thoracic surgery as leaders, administrators, researchers and / or clinicians.
  • Leadership Skills: Guidance for the development of leadership skills so that the residents can learn how to build and engage as participants in (rather than try to control and become divisive with) the kinds of multidisciplinary teams essential to the practice of high quality thoracic surgery. Residents will learn to engage as collaborative rather than as hierarchical leaders.
  • Character Development: Emphasis on an educational process that will help residents learn to develop their qualities of compassion, empathy, and integrity.