The Times Change, But the Challenges Remain

Abstract

The nature of our profession demands a highly skilled work force. Each generation must assume the responsibility to attract, inspire, educate, and train the next group of “Master Surgeons.” Often this focus is on the technical, intellectual, and judgment of the clinician, but the skills of the complete Master Surgeons as leaders, advocates, innovators, and scientists for our profession are equally important. The future Master Surgeon and those who have chosen to develop them have a shared responsibility to succeed. Those who have chosen the academic pathway have declared their interest in training residents and must commit to educate in and out of the operating room. The development of the trainee to become a Master Surgeon includes the acquisition of technical skills, knowledge, judgment, and equally important EMPATHY for patients, families, and colleagues. The trainee must be dedicated and committed to be the best he or she can be. They must have a passion to excel. They must strive for perfection each and every time they enter the operating room and in pursuit of this elusive goal of perfection will come excellence. A residency of 2 to 3 years is a short period of time, mostly dedicated to patient care, technical skill, and acquiring judgment necessary to become a cardiothoracic surgeon. There is an enormous amount of knowledge to be acquired and hardly enough time to acquire it during the defined period of residency. Therefore, the future Master Surgeon must begin to master the knowledge base of our profession before, during, and after training—lifelong learning! Read—read—read and read some more! Cardiothoracic surgery is hard work, with long hours and filled with stress. Despite the demands on the surgeon, one must never forget that for the patient and their families their lives have been turned upside down. They demand—deserve—our best effort and EMPATHY. In addition to developing Master Clinicians, there is a professional responsibility to develop leaders, scientists, advocates, innovators, and spokespeople for the profession. This group is essential to the continued advancement of our profession. Within each area are individuals who serve as role models, mentors, coaches, and sponsors as defined by Stephens and Dearani1Stephens E.H. Dearani J.A. On becoming a master surgeon: role models, mentorship, coaching, and apprenticeship.Ann Thorac Surg. 2021; 111: 1746-1753Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (5) Google Scholar in this issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. Each must have the same dedication to their area of expertise as clinicians. It is an enormous responsibility to develop the next generation of leaders in these areas. The current generation must inspire and provide opportunity for those following. These nonclinical activities often have little or no monetary incentive, but are vital for the specialty as a whole and our patients, and push the specialty to be the best it can be. Our specialty is small in number, but rich in Master Surgeons and individuals who are Master Leaders. The authors are to be congratulated for focusing on both aspects and the different roles played in the development in these areas. They identify the importance of excellence in our profession and the responsibility each of us have in developing the next generation and guaranteeing that our profession continues to improve, thrive, expand, and innovate for the benefit of our patients. On Becoming a Master Surgeon: Role Models, Mentorship, Coaching, and ApprenticeshipThe Annals of Thoracic SurgeryVol. 111Issue 6PreviewCardiothoracic surgery is a high risk, high reward specialty demanding exceptional performance for desired outcomes. Whereas the demand for technical excellence, critical thinking skills, judgment, and overall experience is clear, the pathway to optimize performance improvement after training is completed is less clear. “Role modeling,” “mentorship,” “coaching,” and “apprenticeship” are all buzz words that have flooded the proverbial air of our specialty in recent years. The goal of this article is to describe strategies, including career development relationships, continuing medical education, and professional societal involvement, that are key to continuing to improve one’s craft and identify career phases when such elements are most applicable. Full-Text PDF