Training Locations
Residents receive rotational experience at the following hospitals:
Rotations
During the first three years of the thoracic surgery integrated residency program, residents will undergo clinical training in General Surgery, Vascular Surgery, and Cardiology as well as Cardiothoracic Surgery. The residents then have the option to pursue research for a maximum of two years. The final three years of the residency program is comprised of in-depth training in Cardiothoracic and General Thoracic surgery.
| First Year | Ben Taub Hospital (five months) |
| Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (four months) | |
| Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center (two months) | |
| Texas Children's Hospital (one month) | |
| Second Year | Ben Taub Hospital (six months) |
| Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (one month) | |
| Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center (five months) | |
| Third Year | Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (four months) |
| Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center (eight months) | |
| Fourth Year | Texas Children's Hospital (three months) |
| Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center Cardiovascular Surgery (three months) | |
| Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (three months) | |
| University of Texas MD Anderson (three months) | |
| Fifth Year | Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center General Thoracic Surgery (two months) |
| Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center Cardiovascular Surgery (three months) | |
| Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (three months) | |
| Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center Adult Cardiac, Minimally Invasive, Robotic Cardiac Surgery (three months) | |
| Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center Structural Heart/Cardiac Cath Lab (one month) | |
| Sixth Year | Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center Adult Cardiac, Minimally Invasive, Robotic Cardiac Surgery (three months) |
| Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center Aortic Surgery (three months) | |
| Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center Heart/Lung Transplant Surgery (three months) | |
| Ben Taub Hospital (three months) |
Upon completion of this program, residents will be board-eligible in Thoracic Surgery through the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS).
Didactic
During the PGY-1 to PGY-3 years, residents participate in several regularly scheduled general surgery and thoracic surgery education sessions. Residents participate in small group sessions and lectures; knot tying, suture, and skin stapling training modules; and inanimate and animate labs.
Thoracic Surgery didactics include weekly lectures by various faculty members, weekly Departmental Grand Rounds, weekly SESATS preparation sessions, clinical scenario Q&A sessions every-other week, and bi-monthly journal clubs. Residents also actively participate in affiliate hospital M&M conferences and tumor boards. Mock-oral board exam sessions are also held twice per year to prepare trainees for their Thoracic Surgery Oral Board Certification Exam. Given the growing presence of robotics in cardiac and thoracic surgery, residents also participate in a structured and robust robotic surgery curriculum to complement a high volume clinical experience with the option of working towards a robotics equivalency certificate which can be used for credentialing.
Research
Part of the central vision of Baylor College of Medicine is its research mission. All Thoracic Surgery residents have ample opportunity and support to participate in this mission. In order to provide mentorship and resources to optimize resident participation in research projects, quarterly research meetings are held for all thoracic surgery residents to review progress in projects and discuss new opportunities. Residents have access to a core of Departmental experts in education, clinical study design an analysis, and scientific writing. Residents are expected to submit a least two manuscripts to peer reviewed journals before the start of their third year.