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In the thick of a job search for this coming July, I fondly remember my first experience at the 47th Annual STS meeting in San Diego in 2011. The presidential address was delivered by Dr. Mathisen and focused nearly an entire hour on encouraging and mentoring young trainees to pursue a career in cardiothoracic surgery. Citing concerns about job availability and security, declining compensation, and increasing scrutiny on outcome measures, the president attempted to individually address these.
Most vividly I remember the emphasis on baby boomers getting older, median CT surgeon age approaching the retirement point, and the overall increased need for young, motivated, and highly skilled junior attendings. Until this year, the number of STS and CTSnet job posts was abysmally low. This led many new graduates to consider advanced fellowships or alternative avenues. Half a decade after Dr. Mathisen’s prediction at STS, the proverbial flood gates have opened.
This past year, I’ve seen at least a dozen quality academic positions looking for new graduates in thoracic surgery. Additionally, at least another dozen hybrid practice or private/community practice groups are looking to hire junior attendings. What is also interesting is the direction that many practices are headed: thoracic service lines, where volume is accrued from surrounding community practices and brought to centralized, multidisciplinary tertiary care institutions.
In many models, mentorship has been built in with involved senior partners, especially now that expertise in advanced techniques in bronchoscopy (EBUS, navigational bronchoscopy), endoscopy (RFA, EMR, and other ablative strategies) and minimally invasive surgery (VATS, MIS esophagectomy, robotic) are commonly expected by patients. These skills are initially learned in training and, with the right support structure, are perfected early in practice.
With more precise earlier stage screening and detection of esophageal and lung malignancies and the general stability or increase in the year-to-year incidence of these cancers, I expect the job market will continue to accommodate a growing need for thoracic surgeons in the United States. This should greatly help recruitment of the best young medical talent into what is truly an exciting and blossoming field of surgery.
Reference
Mathisen DJ. “It’s Not the Destination, It’s the Journey: Lessons Learned”. 47th Annual STS Presidential Address. San Diego, CA. January 2011. www.sts.org/news/mathisen-delivers-presidential-address.
Dr. Shersher is at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago.
In the thick of a job search for this coming July, I fondly remember my first experience at the 47th Annual STS meeting in San Diego in 2011. The presidential address was delivered by Dr. Mathisen and focused nearly an entire hour on encouraging and mentoring young trainees to pursue a career in cardiothoracic surgery. Citing concerns about job availability and security, declining compensation, and increasing scrutiny on outcome measures, the president attempted to individually address these.
Most vividly I remember the emphasis on baby boomers getting older, median CT surgeon age approaching the retirement point, and the overall increased need for young, motivated, and highly skilled junior attendings. Until this year, the number of STS and CTSnet job posts was abysmally low. This led many new graduates to consider advanced fellowships or alternative avenues. Half a decade after Dr. Mathisen’s prediction at STS, the proverbial flood gates have opened.
This past year, I’ve seen at least a dozen quality academic positions looking for new graduates in thoracic surgery. Additionally, at least another dozen hybrid practice or private/community practice groups are looking to hire junior attendings. What is also interesting is the direction that many practices are headed: thoracic service lines, where volume is accrued from surrounding community practices and brought to centralized, multidisciplinary tertiary care institutions.
In many models, mentorship has been built in with involved senior partners, especially now that expertise in advanced techniques in bronchoscopy (EBUS, navigational bronchoscopy), endoscopy (RFA, EMR, and other ablative strategies) and minimally invasive surgery (VATS, MIS esophagectomy, robotic) are commonly expected by patients. These skills are initially learned in training and, with the right support structure, are perfected early in practice.
With more precise earlier stage screening and detection of esophageal and lung malignancies and the general stability or increase in the year-to-year incidence of these cancers, I expect the job market will continue to accommodate a growing need for thoracic surgeons in the United States. This should greatly help recruitment of the best young medical talent into what is truly an exciting and blossoming field of surgery.
Reference
Mathisen DJ. “It’s Not the Destination, It’s the Journey: Lessons Learned”. 47th Annual STS Presidential Address. San Diego, CA. January 2011. www.sts.org/news/mathisen-delivers-presidential-address.
Dr. Shersher is at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago.
In the thick of a job search for this coming July, I fondly remember my first experience at the 47th Annual STS meeting in San Diego in 2011. The presidential address was delivered by Dr. Mathisen and focused nearly an entire hour on encouraging and mentoring young trainees to pursue a career in cardiothoracic surgery. Citing concerns about job availability and security, declining compensation, and increasing scrutiny on outcome measures, the president attempted to individually address these.
Most vividly I remember the emphasis on baby boomers getting older, median CT surgeon age approaching the retirement point, and the overall increased need for young, motivated, and highly skilled junior attendings. Until this year, the number of STS and CTSnet job posts was abysmally low. This led many new graduates to consider advanced fellowships or alternative avenues. Half a decade after Dr. Mathisen’s prediction at STS, the proverbial flood gates have opened.
This past year, I’ve seen at least a dozen quality academic positions looking for new graduates in thoracic surgery. Additionally, at least another dozen hybrid practice or private/community practice groups are looking to hire junior attendings. What is also interesting is the direction that many practices are headed: thoracic service lines, where volume is accrued from surrounding community practices and brought to centralized, multidisciplinary tertiary care institutions.
In many models, mentorship has been built in with involved senior partners, especially now that expertise in advanced techniques in bronchoscopy (EBUS, navigational bronchoscopy), endoscopy (RFA, EMR, and other ablative strategies) and minimally invasive surgery (VATS, MIS esophagectomy, robotic) are commonly expected by patients. These skills are initially learned in training and, with the right support structure, are perfected early in practice.
With more precise earlier stage screening and detection of esophageal and lung malignancies and the general stability or increase in the year-to-year incidence of these cancers, I expect the job market will continue to accommodate a growing need for thoracic surgeons in the United States. This should greatly help recruitment of the best young medical talent into what is truly an exciting and blossoming field of surgery.
Reference
Mathisen DJ. “It’s Not the Destination, It’s the Journey: Lessons Learned”. 47th Annual STS Presidential Address. San Diego, CA. January 2011. www.sts.org/news/mathisen-delivers-presidential-address.
Dr. Shersher is at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago.
