The University of New Mexico School of Medicine residency in cardiac and thoracic surgery is an ACGME approved two-year training program offering opportunities to gain experience in all aspects of cardiac and thoracic surgery in the multicultural setting of New Mexico.
The UNM Thoracic Surgery Residency Program is a two-year program offering opportunities to gain experience in all aspects of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery in the multicultural setting of New Mexico. This two-year ACGME accredited program prepares physicians for certification by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. The first- and second-year residents alternate on 3 month rotations at the Univerisity of New Mexico Health Scienc Center and the New Mexico VA. During each of these rotations the thoracic surgery resident acts as the chief resident for the cardiothoracic surgery service. The resident is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the service under close supervision of the attending. The chief resident is also responsible for the direct supervision of the junior resident and medical students assigned to the service.
Continuity of care is the hallmark of the program. Clinical experience emphasizes preoperative, operative and post operative care. The resident is directly involved in all preoperative evaluations. He/she also participates in weekly working conferences with the adult or pediatric cardiologists, pulmonogist and medical oncologist in planning the operation. Frequent discussion with fellows in cardiology and pulmonary medicine is encouraged.
Operative responsibility is progressive, based on experience and ability. The thoracic surgery resident performs most of the non-cardiac thoracic operations and assists the junior resident in the simpler non-cardiac procedures. For the cardiac cases, the thoracic resident progresses from a period of first-assisting the attending staff to performing simple procedures and then to performing progressively more complex procedures. During the first year, the resident gains experience mainly with acquired cardiac diseases such as coronary artery and valvular heart diseases and with pulmonary and esophageal problems. During the second year, his/her experience with acquired heart disease focuses on valvular heart disease.
During the post-operative period, the thoracic surgery resident,in close consultation with the attending staff, is directly in charge of the care of the patient. After release from the hospital, the patient is routinely followed in the outpatient clinic by the thoracic surgery resident and the cardiothoracic surgical team.
Our program sees a wide variety of clinical cases. University Hospital is the only Level I trauma
center in the state of New Mexico. This gives our resident great exposure to a variety of penetrating and blunt thoracic trauma including thoracic transections.
Another strength of our program is the close relationship (mentorship) between each of the attendings
and the residents during the different rotations. The cardiac surgery faculty deliberately alternates
their primary clinical responsibilities to permit the close work of one resident with one primary attending
every two months. This apprenticeship type of education has proven extremely beneficial in terms of the
teaching of surgical techniques as well as in the area of critical care. The staff consists of five
diplomates of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery with one of the faculty exclusively devoted to general
thoracic surgery. Research projects are encouraged but are not mandatory.
