The Cardiothoracic Surgery and Transplant Physician Assistant Fellowship prepares you for professional practice in cardiothoracic and heart transplant surgery. The fellowship curriculum includes knowledge, skills, and understanding of specific healthcare areas.

Training in cardiac, transplant, and related specialties

The fellowship provides in-depth exposure and experiential training on all aspects of:

• Cardiac surgeries, including coronary artery bypass grafting, valvular surgeries, aortic operations, septal myectomies, surgical ablations, epicardial lead placement, and other cardiac-specific surgical intervention
• Heart transplantation
• Cardiac-assist device implantation including Impella and ventricular assist devices
• Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
• Lung diseases requiring open, video-assisted thoracoscopic, and robotic surgery
• Esophageal diseases that require surgical intervention
• Training in endovascular vein harvesting

The program also provides exposure and training in the following related areas:

• Pre-transplant patient selection
• Intra-operative patient management and techniques
• Post-surgical management
• Organ procurement
• Pre and post-clinical management of the surgical patient

Clinical rotations in cardiac, surgery, and related specialties

The Cardiothoracic Surgery and Transplant Physician Assistant Fellowship is composed of rotations in various specialty areas. Subspecialty rotations may vary from one to four weeks in length.

• Cardiac surgery, endovascular vein harvesting, and cardiac transplant
• Thoracic surgery
• Advanced heart failure cardiology
• Cardiology
• Pharmacology
• Cardiac Catheterization and Echo lab
• Critical care

Didactic coursework

Designated didactic training includes:

• Scrubbing/Instrument Lab
• Suture Lab
• Surgical Knot Tying Lab
• Fundamentals of Critical Care Course
• Endoscopic Vein Harvest Cadaver Lab
• Cadaver Echo Lab
• Davinci Robotic Training Course
• Ventricular Assist Device Training
• Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Training

Fellows will participate in informal didactic training throughout the year. These may include didactic lectures, conferences, grand rounds, multi-disciplinary rounds, and transplant patient selection committees.

It is recommended that the fellow attend one cardiothoracic surgery continuing education conference.

Schedule and hours

For the majority of the fellowship, your learning schedule includes 10- or 12-hour days, four to six days a week. These times will vary to include nights and weekends. The average workweek is 40 to 50 hours. There will be supervised call expectations once adequate training has been demonstrated.

Department and faculty

The Cardiothoracic Surgery and Transplant Physician Assistant Fellowship is coordinated and taught by the clinical, scientific, and technical staff of Mayo Clinic. Faculty members are chosen for their commitment to teaching, clinical practice and research. Many have published and lectured extensively and are highly regarded in their fields.

You have direct access to these individuals throughout your training, giving you the opportunity to learn from experienced practitioners in many areas of medicine.

Visiting professors and lecturers

A hallmark of higher education excellence is the breadth and depth of information and experience provided by faculty and visiting experts. Each year, many prominent professors visit Mayo Clinic to lecture in their areas of medical and scientific expertise.

As a student at Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences, you are encouraged to learn from these valuable resources by attending all relevant conferences, lectures, and seminars.

Facilities

Mayo Clinic has two campuses in Arizona. The Mayo Clinic campus in Phoenix, Arizona includes the state-of-the-art Mayo Clinic Hospital, the first hospital entirely designed and built by Mayo Clinic. Services in numerous medical and surgical disciplines are provided, including outstanding programs in cancer treatment and organ transplantation. It has been recognized several times by Phoenix magazine as the Best Hospital in Phoenix.

Mayo Clinic's campus in Scottsdale, Arizona, is centered around a beautiful, five-story outpatient clinic. This modern facility contains extensive exam rooms, an outpatient surgery center equipped for general anesthesia, a full-service laboratory, a pharmacy, a patient education library, an endoscopy suite, and a 188-seat auditorium for patient, staff, and student education programs. This site also offers the Center for Procedural Innovation which allows for surgical skills advancement in a cadaver lab setting.

During the fellowship, the majority of your time is spent at the Phoenix campus.

Evaluation

Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences uses these evaluative tools:

• Written examination
• Demonstration of skills
• Self-assessment exercises
• Faculty reviews

Mayo Clinic's system of evaluation provides students and faculty with a comprehensive look at individual performance. This allows faculty and administrative staff to direct students who are experiencing academic difficulty to the appropriate support resources, including tutoring programs and counseling opportunities.

Curriculum enhancements

Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences is committed to developing and maintaining the best education programs. The curriculum and other aspects of this program are routinely assessed and changed as necessary to ensure the highest quality training.