Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training Research Articles

Abstract 13876: Women Face Unique Obstacles During Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training

Background: There are persistent disparities in career advancement for women physicians in pediatric cardiology. We sought to explore differences by gender in fellowship experience, as these may set the foundation for long-term gender inequity. Aims: To describe and compare fellowship experiences, career aspirations and family obligations of men and women in pediatric cardiology training. Methods: We performed a national survey of pediatric cardiology fellows examining mentorship, scholarly and DEI work, clinical experiences, career intentions and family commitments. Descriptive analyses were performed. Results: A total of 176 responses were included in the analysis (men=74, women=102). Most fellows were white (69%) and aged 30-34 years old (68%). Men and women reported similar mentorship, scholarly and clinical experiences, and influential factors in their decision to pursue subspecialty training. More women plan to pursue advanced imaging training (42% vs. 24%, p=0.04), to have administrative responsibilities (27% vs. 14%, p=0.06), and to work part time during their career (28% vs. 5.6%, p=0.001). Men reported greater interest in teaching (93% vs. 83%, p=0.04). While similar proportions of men and women were married, the spouses of women were more likely to be employed (91% vs. 71%, p=0.002). Among fellows with children, more women than men planned for additional children (75% vs. 25%, p=0.0004). Among fellows without children, more men than women planned for additional children (93% vs. 74%, p=0.01). Women were more likely to report delay in childbearing due to training (71% vs. 40%, p=0.0002), that childbearing decisions were influenced by the risk of radiation exposure (22% vs. 0%, p<.0001), and the use of assistive reproductive technologies (11% vs. 1%, p=0.01). Conclusion(s): Women and men in pediatric cardiology fellowship have similar training experiences and career aspirations yet differ in their plans to raise families. Women face unique obstacles to childbearing and child raising during training. Motherhood in pediatric cardiology may be a vulnerable period during career development and advancement.

Pediatric Cardiology Condolence Letter Writing: Does a Fellowship Curriculum Impact Practice?

Condolence letter (CL) writing after the death of a child is an important opportunity for humanism. Pediatric cardiology fellowship training now recognizes the importance of palliative care, but rarely includes CL education, despite its fragile patient population. To address this professionalism gap, a formal CL writing curriculum was created and implemented in a pediatric cardiology fellowship. This study investigated the impact of the curriculum on pediatric cardiology CL writing, and broader CL practices and beliefs. Pediatric cardiology fellows at a high volume urban academic program from 2000 to 2022 were divided into two cohorts (exposure to CL curriculum [2014-2022] vs. no exposure [2000-2013]) and responded by anonymous electronic multiple choice and open ended survey to assess the CL curriculum and describe current CL practices and beliefs. Impact of curriculum elements was determined by ordinal ranking. A 5-point Likert scale was used to report physician behaviors. Chi-square tests of independence were utilized for group comparisons. The overall survey response rate was 59% (63/107). Cardiologists who participated in the curriculum (64%, 35/55) were more likely to report writing CLs (80% vs. 40%; P < 0.01). Impactful curriculum elements included the opportunity for all fellows to contribute to a CL (78%) and identifying a primary fellow to write the CL (66%). A majority (>75%) of curriculum participants agreed that formal teaching increased their frequency, ability, and comfort in writing CLs. Development of condolence expression educational programs in pediatric cardiology training should be expanded.

Editorial introductions.

Editorial introductions.

Common indications and impact on clinical management of overnight, inpatient transthoracic echocardiograms performed by pediatric cardiology fellows

BackgroundOne of the core competencies of pediatric cardiology fellowship training is to perform and interpret transthoracic echocardiograms. Each institution is responsible for developing a curriculum surrounding this skill, yet there is little literature about the most common indications and the utility of these studies. ObjectivesThe aims of this study are to determine the most common indications for overnight, inpatient transthoracic echocardiograms in pediatric patients performed by fellows and to evaluate their impact on clinical management. MethodsRetrospective chart review was completed for all transthoracic echocardiograms performed overnight by pediatric cardiology fellows during a one-year period. Study indication, result, and ordering hospital unit were obtained. Transthoracic echocardiograms impact was classified based on documentation in the medical record. ResultsTwo hundred and twenty-five overnight transthoracic echocardiograms were performed on 186 patients; 46% had underlying structural heart disease. The most common indication was for assessment of left ventricular function (40.9%). The Heart Center (combined cardiac intensive care unit and step-down unit) was the most common ordering unit (40%). Fifty-four percent of studies were documented in the medical record as having impacted clinical decision-making. The indications resulting in the highest clinical impact were evaluation of shunt patency (100%) and confirmation of prenatally diagnosed congenital heart disease (86%). Clinical impact of overnight, inpatient transthoracic echocardiograms was higher in patients with known heart disease compared to those without (67% vs 43%). ConclusionPediatric cardiology fellow education should emphasize early training for assessment of left ventricular function and high impact indications in patients with congenital heart disease. Impact of overnight transthoracic echocardiograms is highest when used in children with underlying heart disease.

Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training in Exercise Medicine: A General Needs Assessment.

The aim of this study was to improve understanding of exercise medicine training needs for pediatric cardiology fellows. A survey was sent via email to all (N = 63) pediatric cardiology training program directors in the United States to evaluate the perceived exercise training needs of pediatric cardiology fellows. The survey consisted of multiple-choice responses as well as a few open-ended responses. A 60% response rate was achieved. 74% of programs did not have a pre-existing exercise core program. This type of training was felt to be important or very important in 84%. A wide variability of time allotted for exercise training exists amongst programs from < 1week to > 4weeks, with 2weeks being most common. There was no consensus on a target number of total exercise tests nor types of tests in which fellows should participate. Preferred methods in training consisted of lectures and online media. Less preferred methods of teaching methods included dedicated reading of a handbook, a dedicated rotation, or live webinars. There was general support to develop exercise training competencies as well as the associated online learning materials with a focus on competency rather than target numbers. There is a need for educational recommendations for exercise training in pediatric cardiology fellowships as well as a unified method of achieving competencies.

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Task Force 2: Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training in Noninvasive Cardiac Imaging: Endorsed by the American Society of Echocardiography and the Society ofPediatric Echocardiography.

Task Force 2: Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training in Noninvasive Cardiac Imaging: Endorsed by the American Society of Echocardiography and the Society ofPediatric Echocardiography.

2015 SPCTPD/ACC/AAP/AHA Training Guidelines for Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Programs (Revision of the 2005 Training Guidelines for Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Programs)

HomeCirculationVol. 132, No. 62015 SPCTPD/ACC/AAP/AHA Training Guidelines for Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Programs (Revision of the 2005 Training Guidelines for Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Programs) Free AccessResearch ArticlePDF/EPUBAboutView PDFView EPUBSections ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload citationsTrack citationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InMendeleyReddit Jump toFree AccessResearch ArticlePDF/EPUB2015 SPCTPD/ACC/AAP/AHA Training Guidelines for Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Programs (Revision of the 2005 Training Guidelines for Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Programs) Originally published13 Mar 2015https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000190Circulation. 2015;132:e41–e42is corrected byCorrectionOther version(s) of this articleYou are viewing the most recent version of this article. Previous versions: January 1, 2015: Previous Version 1 Task Force MembersIntroduction/Steering CommitteeRobert D. Ross, MD, FAAP, FACC, ChairMichael Brook, MD, Co-ChairPeter Koenig, MD, FACC, FASEJeffrey A. Feinstein, MDPeter Lang, MD, FAAP, FACCRobert L. Spicer, MD, FAAP, FACCJulie A. Vincent, MD, FAAP, FACC, FSCAITask Force 1: Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training in General CardiologyAlan B. Lewis, MD, FAAP, FACC, Co-ChairGerard R. Martin, MD, FAAP, FACC, FAHA, Co-ChairPeter J. Bartz, MD, FASEPeter S. Fischbach, MD, FACCDavid R. Fulton, MD, FAAP, FACCG. Paul Matherne, MD, MBA, FAAP, FACC, FAHABenjamin Reinking, MD, FAAPRobert L. Spicer, MD, FAAP, FACCTask Force 2: Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training in Noninvasive Cardiac ImagingShubhika Srivastava, MBBS, FAAP, FACC, FASE, Co-ChairBeth F. Printz, MD, PHD, FAAP, FASE, Co-ChairTal Geva, MD, FACCGirish S. Shirali, MBBS, FACC, FASEPaul M. Weinberg, MDPierre C. Wong, MDPeter Lang, MD, FAAP, FACCTask Force 3: Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training in Cardiac CatheterizationLaurie B. Armsby, MD, FAAP, FSCAI, Co-ChairRobert N. Vincent, MD, CM, FACC, FSCAI, Co-ChairSusan R. Foerster, MD, FSCAIRalf J. Holzer, MD, FSCAIJohn W. Moore, MD, MPH, FAAP, FACC, FSCAIAudrey C. Marshall, MDLarry Latson, MD, FAAP, FAAC, FSCAIMichael Brook, MDTask Force 4: Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training in ElectrophysiologyAnne M. Dubin, MD, FHRS, Co-ChairEdward P. Walsh, MD, FHRS, Co-ChairWayne Franklin, MD, FAAP, FACC, FAHARonald J. Kanter, MD, FACC, FHRSJ. Philip Saul, MD, FACC, FAHA, FHRSMaully J. Shah, MBBS, FACC, FHRSGeorge F. Van Hare, MD, FACC, FHRSJulie A. Vincent, MD, FAAP, FACC, FSCAITask Force 5: Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training in Critical Care CardiologyTimothy F. Feltes, MD, FAAP, FACC, FAHA, Co-ChairStephen J. Roth, MD, MPH, FAAP, Co-ChairMelvin C. Almodovar, MDDean B. Andropoulos, MD, FAAPDesmond J. Bohn, MB, BCH, FFARCS, MRCP, FRCPCJohn M. Costello, MD, MPH, FAAPRobert J. Gajarski, MD, MHSA, FAAP, FACCAntonio R. Mott, MDPeter Koenig, MD, FACC, FASETask Force 6: Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training in Adult Congenital Heart DiseaseKaren Stout, MD, FACC, Co-ChairAnne Marie Valente, MD, FACC, Co-ChairPeter J. Bartz, MD, FASEStephen Cook, MD, FACCMichelle Gurvitz, MD, MS, FACCArwa Saidi, MD, FACCRobert D. Ross, MD, FAAP, FACCTask Force 7: Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training in Pulmonary Hypertension, Advanced Heart Failure, and TransplantationSteven A. Webber, MB, CHB, Co-ChairDaphne T. Hsu, MD, FAAP, FACC, FAHA, Co-ChairD. Dunbar Ivy, MD, FAAP, FACCThomas J. Kulik, MDElfriede Pahl, MD, FAAP, FACCDavid N. Rosenthal, MDRobert Morrow, MD, FAAP, FACCJeffrey A. Feinstein, MDTask Force 8: Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training in Research and Scholarly ActivityWilliam T. Mahle, MD, FAAP, FACC, FAHA, Co-ChairAnne M. Murphy, MD, FACC, FAHA, Co-ChairJennifer S. Li, MDYuk M. Law, MD, FAAPJane W. Newburger, MD, MPH, FACC, FAHAStephen R. Daniels, MD, PHDDaniel Bernstein, MDBradley S. Marino, MD, MPP, MSCE, FAAP, FACC,FAHARobert D. Ross, MD, FAAP, FACCFootnotesThe introduction and task force reports for these Training Guidelines for Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Programs are available online at http://circ.ahajournals.org (Circulation. 2015;132:e43–e47; e48–e56; e57–e67; e68–e74; e75–e80; e81–e90; e91–e98; e99–e106; and e107–e113).This document was approved by the Society of Pediatric Cardiology Training Program Directors, American College of Cardiology Foundation, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Heart Association in February 2015.The American Heart Association requests that this document be cited as follows: Ross RD, Brook M, Koenig P, et al. 2015 SPCTPD/ACC/AAP/AHA training guidelines for pediatric cardiology fellowship programs (revision of the 2005 training guidelines for pediatric cardiology fellowship programs). Circulation. 2015;132:e41–e42.This article is copublished in Journal of the American College of Cardiology.Copies: This document is available on the World Wide Web sites of the Society of Pediatric Cardiology Training Program Directors (http://spctpd.com), the American College of Cardiology (www.acc.org), the American Academy of Pediatrics, (www.aap.org), and the American Heart Association (my.americanheart.org). A copy of the document is available at http://my.americanheart.org/statements by selecting either the “By Topic” link or the “By Publication Date” link. To purchase additional reprints, call 843-216-2533 or e-mail [email protected].Expert peer review of AHA Scientific Statements is conducted by the AHA Office of Science Operations. For more on AHA statements and guidelines development, visit http://my.americanheart.org/statements and select the “Policies and Development” link.Permissions: Multiple copies, modification, alteration, enhancement, and/or distribution of this document are not permitted without the express permission of the American Heart Association. Instructions for obtaining permission are located at http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/General/Copyright-Permission-Guidelines_UCM_300404_Article.jsp. A link to the “Copyright Permissions Request Form” appears on the right side of the page. Previous Back to top Next FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsRelated articlesCorrectionCirculation. 2016;133:e464-e464 August 11, 2015Vol 132, Issue 6 Advertisement Article InformationMetrics © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000190 Originally publishedMarch 13, 2015 PDF download Advertisement SubjectsStatements and Guidelines

Task Force 6: Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training in Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Task Force 6: Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Training in Adult Congenital Heart Disease

ACC/AHA/AAP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TRAINING IN PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY

ACC/AHA/AAP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TRAINING IN PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY