Integrated Six-Year Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency

The Yale Integrated Six-year (I-6) Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Program is designed for medical school graduates seeking training to become an ABTS board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon. This 6-year program includes early exposure to cardiothoracic surgery, along with integration with the Yale General Surgery program for the first 3 years, followed by 3 years of dedicated cardiothoracic surgery training. Our curriculum is flexible, offering pathways designed to emphasize either cardiothoracic, general thoracic, or cardiac surgery, with all leading to ABTS board certification. One’s pathway does not need to be declared prior to beginning the program. For the cardiac and cardiothoracic pathways, an individualized schedule is created to include additional time on the cardiac surgery services, as well as dedicated experiences in cardiac catheterization, structural cardiology, and vascular surgery. Similarly, the general thoracic pathway includes additional time on the general thoracic surgery service, as well as dedicated experiences in interventional pulmonology, medical and radiation oncology, and advanced GI endoscopy.

The last two years of the program consist of intense operative experiences in both cardiac and general thoracic surgery, individualized according to the resident’s clinical interests yet comfortably achieving ABTS case requirements for certification. At this stage, residents will also assume administrative responsibilities to derive experience in managing busy clinical services and organizing the educational curriculum for their peers.

Our program allows dedicated research opportunities of 1-3 years after the PGY3 year. Projects will be tailored to the trainee’s individual research interests such as basic science research or clinical outcomes research. Advanced degrees are encouraged and can also be obtained through the Yale Investigative Medicine Program, Yale School of Public Health, Yale School of Medicine, or Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

The Division of Cardiac Surgery consists of a diverse group of adult and congenital cardiac faculty who perform the breadth of cardiac surgical procedures, including complex coronary, valvular, aortic, and heart failure operations and repairs of complex congenital heart defects. Trainees will gain experience in basic and complex surgical techniques, including minimally invasive and off-pump coronary artery bypass, robotic mitral valve repair, valve-sparing aortic root operations, transcatheter aortic and mitral valve procedures, endovascular aortic procedures, hybrid arch operations, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, ventricular assist devices, and heart transplantation.

The faculty of the Division of Thoracic Surgery treat the entire spectrum of thoracic pathologies. Most operations are performed minimally-invasively via VATS and robotic approaches for lung and mediastinal diseases, and via laparoscopic, endoscopic, and robotic approaches for esophageal cancer and benign foregut diseases. Trainees will gain ample open experience through complex lung, airway, mediastinal, chest wall, and esophageal cases.

The health system’s main campus located across the street from Yale School of Medicine, YNHH is a 1,541-bed tertiary medical center receiving national and international referrals. Yale New Haven Hospital includes Smilow Cancer Hospital and Children's Hospital. Yale New Haven Hospital is one of four Level 1 trauma centers in Connecticut and one of only two Pediatric Level 1 trauma centers. This is the main location for clinical rotations including Adult Cardiac Surgery, General Thoracic Surgery, Congenital Cardiac Surgery, and many General Surgery services. Trainees learn from complex adult and congenital cardiac, thoracic, and general surgery cases (including trauma) and the critical care of these patients.

Located about five miles west of New Haven, the West Haven VA Hospital is a 216-bed hospital and the only tertiary care Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Connecticut. As such, it is the only VA hospital between New York and Massachusetts offering cardiothoracic surgery services. This is an important training location for general adult cardiac and thoracic cases, as well as offering a unique experience in independence and leadership. This is also a location for general surgery and vascular surgery rotations in the junior years.

Bridgeport Hospital is a 501-bed acute care hospital located about 20 miles west of New Haven. It houses the only burn center in Connecticut. Trainees rotate on several of the general surgical services that provide exposure to blunt and penetrating traumas, burns, minimally invasive and bariatric surgery, and other services. Senior trainees rotate on the cardiac and thoracic services, which are fully supported by APPs.

Located about one mile from YNHH, SRC is a 511-bed community teaching hospital. Trainees will obtain a robust community-hospital experience in vascular surgery and general surgery, including minimally-invasive surgery. The vascular surgery experience at SRC consists of rotations both at the junior and chief levels.

We provide a strong educational foundation in cardiothoracic surgery, preparing our trainees to be well-versed in not only basic and advanced concepts, but also the latest evidence-based practices from the cardiac and thoracic surgical literature. Trainees actively participate in weekly, trainee-led education sessions, following the comprehensive TSDA curriculum. These sessions are moderated by the faculty, and discussion of case scenarios and multiple-choice-question assessments are incorporated into every session. Special attention is paid toward preparing for the yearly thoracic surgery in-training exam (TSITE) and the qualifying and certifying ABTS board exams. Wet/dry lab simulations, moderated by faculty, supplement trainees’ education. In addition, we have developed a robotic thoracic and cardiac surgery curriculum that prepares trainees for future practice and meets the requirements of Intuitive Surgical Inc’s certification for operating the da Vinci Surgical System. This curriculum defines the pre-operative (online modules, training with the device representative(s), and simulation experience), bedside (defining graduated bedside autonomy), and console (with milestones by case type and training year) requirements to obtain certification.