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Send to a FriendThe CTSNet Residents' Section has been developed to further the education and training of residents and fellows in cardiothoracic surgery around the world. The site is a central location for current information about residency training in cardiothoracic surgery and has largely been developed by cardiothoracic and general surgical residents. The Residents' Section is a subsection of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Network (CTSNet) and is the combined global effort of surgeons from all the major cardiothoracic surgery organizations.
The Editorial Board of the Resident Section of CTSNet oversees content development on the Residents’ Section. Residents and faculty are encouraged to contribute any and all material which may be useful to the education and training of residents in cardiothoracic surgery. Current areas of development are listed below.
If you would like to personally contribute content to the Residents' Section please send an email to Vinod Thourani, MD at vthoura@emory.edu.
Job Information Center
Since fellowship training and eventual employment are key concerns for residents, this remains one of the most widely used sections of CTSNet. The CTSNet Job Board is now active and the site can be searched for job opportunities. Further planned developments include web-based applications for forming a curriculum vitae and resident reviews of fellowship training opportunities.
CTSNotes
The Editorial Board is actively process for a major overhaul of this portion of CTSNotes. Our plans are to update the entire CTSNotes within the year.
Clinical Cases
A new section on the CTSNet has been developed to highlight brief clinical case presentations. The purpose of this section is to provide a portal for residents and attending surgeons to showcase interesting cases utilizing a multimedia approach. The advantage of an internet-based case presentation includes the wide availability for all residents irrespective of their global location, easy of accessibility, and the profound impact of multi-media presentations. Unlike written, journal-bound manuscripts, this section will be able to highlight color pictures, operative videos, echocardiograms, or cardiac catheterization films. CTSNet is in the process of having these presentations indexed to PubMed.
Pioneer Interviews and New Horizons in Cardiothoracic Surgery
We are fortunate that Dr. W Gerald Rainer has enlightened us with access to Pioneer interviews with giants in our field. Moreover, Dr. Walter H. Merrill has assembled commentaries from some of the most influential personalities in cardiothoracic surgery on the more personal aspects of their profession. Stay in tune for more exciting interviews and commentaries.
Resident Organizations
The Thoracic Surgery Residents Association (TSRA) is for residents currently training in the United States and is actively engaged in addressing issues for residents. Meetings are held regularly at both the STS and AATS meetings. The Editor of the CTSNet Resident’s webpage is now a permanent member of the TSRA Executive Committee and serves the role of Research coordination for the TSRA. Consequently, the TSRA and CTSNet perform survey-based investigative studies pertaining to resident issues.
The European Cardiothoracic Surgery Residents' Association is for residents currently in training in Europe, and further information is available from the EACTS Residents' Section home page.
Multimedia
Web-based multimedia presentations in a variety of formats are available, including specialized topics such as minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Key content areas currently under development are online digital primers for echocardiography, computed tomography, and cineangiography.
Elab
The Residents' Section virtual laboratory and research center (eLab) is a new content area under development. Edited by Jakob Vinten-Johansen, PhD and Vinod H. Thourani, MD, the eLab will provide the resident with a forum for exchanging ideas about basic science research and laboratory investigation. This area will have current information about grant applications and research awards.