Yale Cardiac and Thoracic Sub-internship/Visiting Student Experiences

Thank you for your interest in the Yale Cardiac and Thoracic Sub-internship/Visiting Student experiences. These experiences are managed by the Yale School of Medicine. Up-to-date information can be found through the MD Program website.

Two distinct sub-intern experiences are available: Adult Cardiac Surgery and General Thoracic Surgery. Each are described below. Elective timing and availability are determined by the Office of Global Health Education & Visiting Student Programs. For additional information, please contact either the Yale Cardiothoracic Surgery Program Coordinator, Lisa Giudice, or the Office of Global Health Education & Visiting Student Programs.

The Thoracic Surgery service cares for patients with a broad spectrum of pathologies, including lung, esophageal, and mediastinal malignancies and infections, and many present both diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Students will learn the foundations of the complex decision making involved in caring for thoracic surgery patients. Subinterns will be fully integrated into a high acuity, busy service as critical members of the team. On service, subinterns will be directly supervised by residents in the Integrated and Traditional Thoracic Surgery training programs and the attending surgeons. Expectations include collecting and reporting patient information on daily rounds, participating in the full spectrum of thoracic operations, care for patients in clinic, and attend and present at weekly conferences. If the subinterns are interested, clinical research projects and papers can also be pursued while on the service.

Subinterns on the Cardiac Surgery service join a high volume, high acuity service that treats the full spectrum of adult cardiac pathologies. Students are directly supervised by senior residents in the Integrated Thoracic Surgery Residency and Cardiac Surgery faculty, plus exposure to Traditional Pathway residents and advanced fellows. Students will be expected to participate in care of ICU and floor patients pre- and post-operatively, assist in cases, and perform bedside procedures with the residents and faculty. If known, rotations can have particular emphasis on subspecialties of cardiac surgery including structural valve disease, aortic disease, or heart failure and transplantation. Students will be expected to participate in weekly education conferences, and engagement with clinical research projects is highly encouraged.