The utilization of educational resources published by the Thoracic Surgery Residents AssociationCentral MessagePerspective
Alexander A. Brescia, MD, MSc,
Clauden Louis, MD, MS,
Jessica G.Y. Luc, MD,
Garrett N. Coyan, MD, MS,
Jason J. Han, MD,
David Blitzer, MD,
Fatima G. Wilder, MD,
Curtis S. Bergquist, MD,
Jordan P. Bloom, MD, MPH,
Rishindra M. Reddy, MD,
Gurjit Sandhu, PhD,
J. Hunter Mehaffey, MD, MSc
Affiliations
Alexander A. Brescia, MD, MSc
Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich; Address for reprints: Alexander A. Brescia, MD, MSc, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Frankel Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan, 1500 E Medical Center Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.
Clauden Louis, MD, MS
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Jessica G.Y. Luc, MD
Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Garrett N. Coyan, MD, MS
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pa
Jason J. Han, MD
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa
David Blitzer, MD
Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY
Fatima G. Wilder, MD
Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md
Curtis S. Bergquist, MD
Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich
Jordan P. Bloom, MD, MPH
Division of Cardiac Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass
Rishindra M. Reddy, MD
Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich
Gurjit Sandhu, PhD
Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich
J. Hunter Mehaffey, MD, MSc
Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va
Objective: The Thoracic Surgery Residents Association (TSRA) is a trainee-led cardiothoracic surgery organization in North America that has published a multitude of educational resources. However, the utilization of these resources remains unknown. Methods: Surveys were constructed, pilot-tested, and emailed to 527 current cardiothoracic trainees (12 questions) and 780 former trainees who graduated between 2012 and 2019 (16 questions). The surveys assessed the utilization of TSRA educational resources in preparing for clinical practice as well as in-training and American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) certification examinations. Results: A total of 143 (27%) current trainees and 180 (23%) recent graduates responded. A higher proportion of recent graduates compared with current trainees identified as male (84% vs 66%; P = .001) and graduated from 2- or 3-year traditional training programs (81% vs 41%; P < .001), compared with integrated 6-year (8% vs 49%; P < .001) or 4 + 3 (11% vs 10%; P = .82) pathways. Current trainees most commonly used TSRA resources to prepare for the in-training exam (75%) and operations (73%). Recent graduates most commonly used them to prepare for Oral and/or Written Board Exams (92%) and the in-training exam (89%). Among recent graduates who passed the ABTS Oral Board Exam on the first attempt, 82% (97/118) used TSRA resources to prepare, versus only 48% (25/52) of recent graduates who passed after multiple attempts, failed, have not taken the exam, or preferred not to answer (P < .001). Conclusions: Current cardiothoracic trainees and recent graduates have utilized TSRA educational resources extensively, including to prepare for in-training and ABTS Board examinations.
