How long to become cardiothoracic surgeon

Cardiothoracic surgeons often work in fast-paced environments. They typically work in hospital settings, medical schools or for the government. They perform both scheduled and emergency operations. Their presence may also be required at outpatient clinics, team meetings and ward rounds.

Shifts can be long and irregular, as they may be called into work whenever emergencies and the need for surgeries arise. Cardiothoracic surgeons may work 60 or more hours a week. They may perform two surgeries one day and five the next.

A surgical procedure can take up to eight hours or more. This is a demanding career and knowing how to manage stress is extremely important. Here are some skills that may help a cardiothoracic surgeon perform their tasks effectively:.

Physical stamina: Cardiothoracic surgeons often work in operating rooms for long periods and stand for the entire duration without a break. If you are considering becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon, here are some ways you can optimize your experience:.

Learn related medical specialties: Cardiothoracic surgeons often collaborate with cardiology, pulmonary and renal teams when managing patients post-surgery and should learn about other specialties so they understand the programs certain teams recommend for patients. While both cardiothoracic surgeons and cardiologists specialize in heart issues, the two positions vary. A cardiologist is a medical professional who works with surgeons to diagnose patients and decide if they need surgery.

Cardiothoracic surgeons and cardiologists may collaborate to treat irregular heartbeat problems, with a cardiologist providing treatment options and recommending them to a cardiothoracic surgeon for surgery. Related: Guide To Becoming a Cardiologist. Find jobs. Company reviews. Find salaries. Upload your resume.

Sign in. Finding a Job. What is a cardiothoracic surgeon? What do cardiothoracic surgeons do? Providing evaluations and diagnoses Providing patients with treatment plans Considering alternative non-surgical treatment options Meeting with patients before surgery to discuss their diagnosis and answer questions about procedures. Installing cardiac support devices Treating and treating tumors for patients with minimally invasive catheter-based procedures Implanting pacemakers Performing robotic cardiac surgery Monitoring patients in intensive care Updating patients after operations and track their recovery.

If you love big, epic operations, this is the field for you. Where else can you feel the heart beating in your hands, stop it, and then bring it back to life? CT surgery is also incredibly exciting with rapid innovation and new robotic and minimally invasive surgeries being developed regularly.

However, you should also be able to stomach when cases occasionally go bad. If you love complex work with multiple moving parts and teamwork, CT surgery has you covered.

Lastly, money. This is a highly demanding specialty with a great deal of hard work. Surgeries are long, and patients are sick, often not having favorable outcomes. You will have more patients die than compared to other specialties. In this line of work, emergency surgeries in the middle of the night are not uncommon.

Get ready to pull all-nighters and still operate the next day. Training is long and it will take a while to become a CT surgeon, and even longer if you want to specialize further. While other specialties have 3 to 5 years of training after medical school, be prepared to spend another decade for CT surgery.

At the end of the day, how can you decide if CT surgery is a good fit for you? If you also crave innovation and want to be on the cutting edge of surgery, CT seems to always have a new noteworthy technology every year and is one of the leading specialties in robotics utilization. Finally, CT surgery is incredibly competitive, particularly if you want to get into an integrated residency or get into a strong general surgery residency to position you well for a CT fellowship.

And who better to learn from and be mentored by than CT surgeons themselves. There are a lot of misconceptions about General Surgery. This is the reality of general surgery. Join our mailing list to receive MSI exclusives, news, and updates. No spam. One-click unsubscribe. By continuing to use this website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.

You can learn more here. Skip to content. By Kevin Jubbal, M. After med school, the next step is a residency program where you can train and practice in your specialty. This part of your cardiothoracic surgeon education requirements will last four or five years, after which you apply to become certified in internal medicine.

Then comes a fellowship lasting at least two years, after which you pass a specialist certification exam. Becoming a congenital heart surgeon takes a year longer than other sub-specialities. They also have a separate certification exam.

While the BLS doesn't break down surgical specialities, it says surgeons may work in hospitals, medical schools and for the government. Many surgeons with their own practice make it a group practice.

Sharing the patient load with other doctors helps relieve some of the pressure heart surgeons often have to deal with. An individual heart surgeon's income within that range depends on certifications, specialty and years of experience. Fraser Sherman has written about every aspect of working life: the importance of professional ethics, the challenges of business communication, workers' rights and how to cope with bullying bosses.

Still unsure if becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon is the right career path? Take the free CareerExplorer career test to find out if this career is in your top matches. Perhaps you are well-suited to become a cardiothoracic surgeon or another similar career!