"Reading maketh a full man, writing an exact man, and conference a ready man" -Sir Francis Bacon
Didactic Sessions
Monday Cardiac/Tuesday Thoracic Morning TSDA Curriculum Conference
Every Monday and Tuesday morning after ICU rounds, all residents on rotation at Loyola and the Hines VA gather to review the weekly readings from the TSDA Curriculum with a faculty member. The faculty member has reviewed the readings as well, and leads an interactive discussion that emphasizes elements vital to clinical practice, and relevant for the written Thoracic boards. The two-year version of the curriculum covers the full spectrum of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Congenital Cardiothoracic disease, as well as advanced topics in Critical Care. Monday mornings, Cardiac topics are covered. Tuesday mornings cover General Thoracic topics
Every Monday and Tuesday morning after ICU rounds, all residents on rotation at Loyola and the Hines VA gather to review the weekly readings from the TSDA Curriculum with a faculty member. The faculty member has reviewed the readings as well, and leads an interactive discussion that emphasizes elements vital to clinical practice, and relevant for the written Thoracic boards. The two-year version of the curriculum covers the full spectrum of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Congenital Cardiothoracic disease, as well as advanced topics in Critical Care. Monday mornings, Cardiac topics are covered. Tuesday mornings cover General Thoracic topics
Simulation Lab
Once every other month, the Monday morning session is devoted to a two hour simulation lab using porcine tissues in the Stritch School of Medicine Center for Simulation in Education. The thoracic residents, and general surgery residents rotating on our services perform such procedures as aortic root enlargements, complex mitral repairs, and anatomic pulmonary resections, led by a faculty member. These sessions alternate with a coronary anastomosis workshop. The porcine model allow a stress free examination of all relevant anatomic relationships as well as the ability to speed mastery of technique.
Once every other month, the Monday morning session is devoted to a two hour simulation lab using porcine tissues in the Stritch School of Medicine Center for Simulation in Education. The thoracic residents, and general surgery residents rotating on our services perform such procedures as aortic root enlargements, complex mitral repairs, and anatomic pulmonary resections, led by a faculty member. These sessions alternate with a coronary anastomosis workshop. The porcine model allow a stress free examination of all relevant anatomic relationships as well as the ability to speed mastery of technique.
Wednesday Morning Conference
Wednesday morning conference rotates regularly between the following formats:
Mortality and Morbidity
Held the first week of every month, cardiovascular and thoracic outcomes are discussed by faculty and residents, reviewing diagnostic and therapeutic decision making as well as the relevant literature.
Journal Club
Over the course of a month, each resident selects a recent peer-reviewed publication for discussion. The selection process takes into consideration the degree to which the publication changes understanding and treatment of a disease relevant to cardiothoracic practice, and the validity of the paper's experimental design and methods.
Clinical Case Conference
Using a format designed to prepare residents for oral boards, one resident presents a case to another resident who is unfamiliar with the patient. The presentation of the history and physical prompts the on-the-spot resident to propose a workup, and the resident is then required to 'cold read' imaging studies, and come up with a differential diagnosis and treatment plan. The actual treatment plan, and intra-operative images are then reviewed and compared to the resident plan. The assembled faculty provide constructive criticism of the resident's decision-making process.
Wednesday morning conference rotates regularly between the following formats:
Mortality and Morbidity
Held the first week of every month, cardiovascular and thoracic outcomes are discussed by faculty and residents, reviewing diagnostic and therapeutic decision making as well as the relevant literature.
Journal Club
Over the course of a month, each resident selects a recent peer-reviewed publication for discussion. The selection process takes into consideration the degree to which the publication changes understanding and treatment of a disease relevant to cardiothoracic practice, and the validity of the paper's experimental design and methods.
Clinical Case Conference
Using a format designed to prepare residents for oral boards, one resident presents a case to another resident who is unfamiliar with the patient. The presentation of the history and physical prompts the on-the-spot resident to propose a workup, and the resident is then required to 'cold read' imaging studies, and come up with a differential diagnosis and treatment plan. The actual treatment plan, and intra-operative images are then reviewed and compared to the resident plan. The assembled faculty provide constructive criticism of the resident's decision-making process.
Lectures/Alternating Formats
Dr. Vricella and the faculty from Christ review a schedule of congenital cardiac surgery topics in an interactive virtual format on a regular basis.
Faculty from our own and other Departments of the Medical Center, as well as distinguished visiting professors from other institutions present their insights and research results.
At the end of every trimester, each resident presents a fifteen minute talk where they review their case volume, the status of their research and QA/QI projects, and the most interesting case of their last rotation.
Periodically, a formal mock oral is held simulating a mixed examination room. The mock oral occupies the first half of the hour, and the latter half is a group discussion with the faculty reviewing performance.
Dr. Vricella and the faculty from Christ review a schedule of congenital cardiac surgery topics in an interactive virtual format on a regular basis.
Faculty from our own and other Departments of the Medical Center, as well as distinguished visiting professors from other institutions present their insights and research results.
At the end of every trimester, each resident presents a fifteen minute talk where they review their case volume, the status of their research and QA/QI projects, and the most interesting case of their last rotation.
Periodically, a formal mock oral is held simulating a mixed examination room. The mock oral occupies the first half of the hour, and the latter half is a group discussion with the faculty reviewing performance.
