TSDA Curriculum Conference – Monday and Tuesday
Every Monday and Tuesday morning, all fellows participate in our weekly TSDA Curriculum Conference, led by a faculty member. The faculty member has reviewed the readings and leads an interactive discussion that emphasizes elements vital to clinical practice, and relevant for the written Thoracic boards. The two-year version of the curriculum covers the full spectrum of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Congenital Cardiothoracic disease, as well as advanced topics in Critical Care. Monday mornings focus on Cardiac topics, and Tuesday mornings focus on Thoracic topics.
Simulation Lab
Once every other month, the Monday morning session is devoted to a two-hour simulation lab using porcine tissues in the Stritch School of Medicine Center for Simulation in Education. The fellows and general surgery residents rotating on our services perform simulated procedures such as aortic root enlargements, complex mitral repairs, and anatomic pulmonary resections, led by a faculty member.
Educational Conference – Wednesday
Wednesday morning conference rotates regularly between the following formations:
- Mortality and Morbidity - Held the first week of every month, cardiovascular and thoracic outcomes are discussed by faculty and fellows, reviewing diagnostic and therapeutic decision making as well as the relevant literature.
- Journal Club - Fellows select one Cardiac and one Thoracic peer-reviewed publication for discussion. The selection process takes into consideration the degree to which the publication changes understanding and treatment of a disease relevant to Cardiothoracic practice, and the validity of the paper's experimental design and methods.
- Clinical Case Conference - Using a format designed to prepare fellows for oral boards, one fellow presents a case to another fellow who is unfamiliar with the patient. The presentation of the history and physical prompts the fellow to interpret imaging, discuss their diagnostic workup and treatment plan, as well as detail their management of intra-operative and post-operative complications. The assembled faculty provide feedback and highlight important educational lessons from each case.
- Grand Round Lectures - Faculty from our own and other departments of LUMC, as well as distinguished visiting professors from other institutions, present their insights and research.
City-Wide Surgery Educational Events
In collaboration with the Cardiothoracic Surgery fellowship programs at Northwestern University, University of Chicago, and Rush University Medical Center, multi-institution educational events are held throughout the year. A journal club is held quarterly, during which fellows from two programs prepare a debate utilizing a recent practice-changing journal article.
Annually, city-wide virtual mock orals are led by faculty from each institution, allowing fellows the chance to be examined in a true “board-like” environment. Fellows rotate through three rooms with faculty from each institution providing four clinical scenarios, totaling six Cardiac (with one Congenital) and six Thoracic topics. Fellows are graded and provided feedback.
