Cardiothoracic Surgery

A cardiothoracic surgeon is a specialist who surgically treats diseases affecting the organs in the chest, predominantly the heart, lungs and oesophagus.

Minimum Time to Completion: 8 years from graduation

Details

How to Apply

Eligibility Requirements

For general eligibility requirements, applicants must:

Register with RACS.
Complete the “Operating with Respect” eLearning module.
Have permanent residency or have citizenship of Australia or New Zealand at the time of registration.
Have general (unconditional) registration in Australia or registered within the general scope of practice in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Have successfully completed the RACS Hand Hygiene Learning Module from Hand Hygiene Australia since 1 January 2014
Completion of the GSSE

For cardiothoracics-specific requirements, applicants must:

complete two (2) Surgical Rotations in two (2) different surgical specialties of a minimum duration of ten (10) continuous weeks each. The Surgical Rotations must be undertaken within the last six years and must be completed by the end of 2020 (1st December 2014 – 31st January 2021).
complete one (1) Cardiothoracic Surgical Rotation of a minimum of ten (10) continuous weeks. The Cardiothoracic Surgical Rotation must be undertaken within the last six years and must be completed at the time of application (1st December 2014 – 31st January 2021).

In addition to the generic and specific eligibility requirements, applicants to the SET Program must also submit the following three mandatory Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (Eligibility DOPS).
a. Chest Drain Insertion;
b. Saphenous Vein Harvesting; and
c. Harvesting of Radial Artery.

Eligibility DOPS submitted must have been completed in the six years prior to applying to the SET Program.
Eligibility DOPS may be completed outside of a Cardiothoracic Surgical Rotation.
If the Applicant is a current SET trainee in a different specialty, the Eligibility DOPS must have been completed in the six years prior to acceptance to the SET program in that other specialty.
2023 SET Selection (for the 2024 intake) – successful completion of the Clinical Examination (CE) is preferred by not compulsory.
If selected without the CE, Trainees commencing in 2024 will be required to complete the examination as per the RACS Clinical Examination (CE) policy.
2024 SET Selection (for the 2025 intake) – successful completion of the CE will be a mandatory eligibility requirement

Application Process

Structured curriculum vitae (20%), Structured referee reports (20%) , Semi-structured interview (60%)

The Structured Curriculum Vitae has a maximum score of 40 points. The components scored are:
a. Qualifications (6 points)
b. Surgical and Medical Experience (12 points)
c. Publications (8 points)
d. Presentations (8 points)
e. Skills Courses (4 Points)
f. Medical Awards/Achievements (2 points)

Program Structure

SET 1: Satisfactory completion of 4x three-month terms. Trainees selected into SET 1 from 2017 are required to complete the following mandatory requirements:

Two weeks continuous attachment to the Catheterization Laboratory
Two weeks continuous attachment to the Echo Laboratory

SET 2-6: Five years of satisfactory operative experience in Cardiothoracic Surgery training

Fees

Annual Fee:

AUD $2,515

Exam Fee:

GSSE: AUD $4,315.00
Clinical / OSCEs: $3,270.00
Specialty Surgical Sciences exam: AUD $2,150.00
Fellowship exam: AUD $8,950.00

Registration Fee

AUD $540.91 Registration Fee

AUD $840 Processing Fee

Useful Resources / Courses / Conferences

Involvement with The Australian & New Zealand Society of Cardiac & Thoracic Surgeon (ANZCTS) events
ASSET Course (Australia and NZ Surgical Skills Education and Training)
CCrlSP Course (Care of the Critically ill surgical patient)
CLEAR Course (Critical Literature Evaluations and Research)
EMST Course (Early Management of Severe Trauma)
TIPS Course (Training in professional skills)
RCS England and Ireland ASSET, CCrISP® and ATLS
American College of Surgeons ATLS.

Key Information

PGY Intake Year (earliest)

PGY3

Training Duration (minimum)

6 years FTE

General Progression

Note that this represents one of the quickest routes to specialty training, and may not reflect additional HMO or unaccredited years of training.

Year 1

Internship

Year 2

Surgical HMO Year

Year 3

Commence Cardiothoracic Surgery (PGY3+)

Part Time Option: Yes

Last Updated: January 30, 2023

The information found in this portal has been painstakingly collated by JMOs for JMOs, and is intended as a career progression guide for every aspiring JMO. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and currency of the information presented on this website, but recent changes made by Specialist Medical Colleges may not be reflected in real time; please consult with the respective Specialist Medical College websites for the latest information. PMCV and JMO Victoria accepts no responsibility for inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. Please feel free to contact our team with suggestions or comments via the feedback form.