Clinical training

The fellow has broad exposure to all aspects of mechanical circulatory support and cardiac transplantation, including:

• Preoperative patient selection
• Implantation of ventricular assist devices (HeartMate II, HeartWare HVAD, DuraHeart and CentriMag)
• Harvest and implantation of donor hearts
• Postoperative care
• Outpatient clinic follow-up evaluations

Participation in multidisciplinary patient selection conferences and transplant rounds is encouraged.

Rotation schedule

Upon beginning the fellowship, you will meet with the program director and your mentor to develop a training schedule that matches your level of training, as well as mutually agreed upon goals and objectives.

Didactic training

A detailed and comprehensive didactic curriculum is offered for fellows.

Research training

The fellow is encouraged to participate in clinical research projects. These are usually retrospective studies of specific topics. Mayo Clinic has many resources — including libraries, computers, statistics and audiovisual aids — available to fellows to assist them in their projects.

As a result of these studies, the fellow is expected to generate work suitable for publication in a major cardiothoracic journal, as well as for presentation at a cardiothoracic society conference related to mechanical circulatory support and cardiac transplantation. The fellowship supports travel for a research presentation.

Call frequency

The fellow is expected to participate in hospital call during the fellowship.

Call duties include intensive care unit call on weekdays and weekends, in-hospital call, and out-of-hospital call on weekends. On average, duties include one call every five to six days. If appropriate, fielding calls for suitability of potential donor hearts may be part of your educational experience.

Conferences

Formal seminars on thoracic and cardiovascular surgical topics are scheduled several times a week.

Conferences include:

• Case presentation and journal club (weekly)
• Congenital case conference (weekly)
• Cardiovascular Grand Rounds (weekly)
• Transplant conference (every other week)
• Transplant Grand Rounds (monthly)

The fellow is also encouraged to attend seminars and lectures in general surgery and allied medical fields.

Evaluation

To ensure that the fellow gains proficiency and develop the corresponding technical skills, performance is monitored throughout the Cardiothoracic Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support Surgery Fellowship.

The fellow is formally evaluated by his or her supervising faculty members after completing each clinical rotation. The program director reviews these evaluations and assigns a satisfactory or unsatisfactory grade. In addition, the fellow regularly evaluates the faculty to ensure that their educational goals are being met.