How to Become a Cardiovascular Surgeon

Overview

When an individual has been diagnosed with damage or injury to the heart and blood vessels through their general doctor or cardiologist, he or she is typically referred to a cardiovascular surgeon. This type of surgeon specializes in the heart and blood vessels and repairs damages most often caused by cardiovascular diseases. With an estimated 80 million Americans suffering from at least one type of heart disease, the demand for qualified and capable cardiovascular surgeons is quickly rising.

What is a Cardiovascular Surgeon?

A cardiovascular surgeon is a physician who has specialized in heart diseases, conditions and treatment procedures. After earning a medical education, these professionals continued studying for many years, focusing on the heart and the way it works, as well as procedures that repair heart and blood vessel damage. A cardiovascular surgeon has thoroughly studied the best possible heart care, which involves everything from the initial diagnosis of any damage or irregularities, creating treatment plans, performing surgical procedures to repair or prevent heart and blood vessel damage, and following the progress of the patient.

Cardiovascular surgeons are trained to:

• Identify heart or blood vessel damage, irregularities or malformations, from defective valves to clogged arteries.
• Create treatment plans for patients with the ultimate goal of achieving the highest possible level of health.
• Perform surgeries such as heart valve replacements, bypass surgeries, transplants, etc. to repair damage or congenital heart defects.
• Some cardiovascular surgeons also treat and repair conditions of the arteries, including the carotid artery.

While a lot of focus is placed on the surgeon part of a cardiovascular surgeon’s title, the overall job of this professional is to care for the patient in the best way possible and to take the patient fully into account before recommending any type of treatment. For instance, Dr. Harold Roberts, an independently practicing heart surgeon in Aventura, Florida advocates for minimally invasive heart surgeries, and says, “A minimally invasive heart bypass may be a suggestion if you have one or two blocked coronary arteries. Though surgery is often a suggestion, before jumping to surgery, a doctor may have tried treatment with medicine, cardiac rehabilitation, an angioplasty or other treatments.”

 

Educational Track

A doctoral or professional degree is the entry-level educational requirement for cardiovascular surgeons.

Step by Step Educational Path of a Cardiovascular Surgeon

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree. Cardiovascular surgeons start in the same place as most other physicians; with a four-year undergraduate degree. Though no specific major is required, medical school prerequisites include courses in biology, chemistry, math and physics.
2. Take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). In order to be accepted into medical school, future cardiovascular surgeons must sit for the MCAT and earn satisfactory scores. This examination is multiple-choice and measures the student’s knowledge in the sciences as well as their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. This examination must be taken within three years of applying to medical school.
3. Apply to medical school. In order to earn the Doctor of Medicine degree, students must attend a four-year medical school. This is the true beginning of a doctor’s medical education, and will teach subjects that serve the doctor throughout his or her career – including pharmacology, anatomy and psychology. Typically, the first half of medical school is devoted to teaching students the basics of dealing with patients and diagnosing conditions. During the second half, these future doctors begin to work through a variety of specialties under the supervision of board-certified physicians. They will gain valuable knowledge and insight by working with actual patients.
4. Pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination. This three-step examination is an essential step to becoming licensed as a doctor in the United States. It measures the doctor’s knowledge, concepts, principles and patient-related abilities all required to provide the best possible medical care to individuals. This examination is sponsored by the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, Inc. (FSMB) as well as the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) – both of which have very high standards when it comes to licensing doctors.
5. Take part in a residency program. Upon successful licensing, a future cardiovascular surgeon will need to further his or her understanding and abilities related to general surgery. This is done with a residency which typically lasts between 4 and 5 years. During this time, the physician will be learning under the supervision of other board-certified surgeons and gaining valuable practical experience. By shadowing other physicians and joining procedures, doctors also gain a greater understanding of medical ethical practices, problem-solving abilities and critical-thinking abilities. At this point, the physician will need to pass the American Board of Internal Medicine examination in order to become board-certified in internal medicine.
6. Obtain a fellowship program. After a successful general surgery residency, future cardiovascular surgeons will usually attend a fellowship program which focuses more on specialized cardiovascular surgery. These fellowship programs last at least 2 years, and take a doctor’s knowledge and abilities to an even greater level, honing his or her skills and shaping a capable, knowledgeable and dependable cardiovascular surgeon.
7. Pass the American Board of Medical Specialties certification examination in order to become a certified cardiovascular surgeon. This examination measures the expertise in diagnosis, management and treatment of patients with a variety of health conditions all related to the heart and vascular system.

Career Path

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 691,400 physicians and surgeons were employed in the year 2012. Of those professionals, most work in independent offices or clinics with a staff of nurses and administrative professionals. They may move back and forth between their clinic and the nearest hospital to treat their patients effectively. Some cardiovascular surgeons work in group practices or hospitals where they combine their skills with those of other physicians in order to effectively treat patients.

In a private office, the cardiovascular surgeon typically sees patients that have been referred by their general medical doctors due to health conditions related to the heart or vascular system. Cardiovascular surgeons may also work in hospitals to diagnose and treat emergent patients with life-threatening conditions. Some other facilities where a cardiovascular surgeon’s skills and knowledge are put to use include educational facilities, or in teaching hospitals where they will assist aspiring surgeons in honing their skills and talent.

Cardiovascular surgeons work long hours and are on-call often, which contributes to the stress of the job. However, these surgeons always have a team of medical professionals at their disposal, to offer assistance and support with each procedure.

Employers require cardiovascular surgeons to possess the following qualities in addition to their knowledge:

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Compassion and empathy, since these professionals must provide support and comfort to patients and families.
• Excellent dexterity and stamina, both required for being precise during procedures and having the ability to successfully complete complicated and time-consuming surgeries.
• Greater than average organizational skills and attention to detail, as well as problem-solving skills and the ability to act quickly in life-threatening situations.

As mentioned above, cardiovascular surgeons must possess a license in order to legally practice medicine and surgery in any state. This is achieved by passing the United States Medical Licensing Examination, which is a three-step examination with each step being completed at some point during the cardiovascular surgeon’s medical career and training:

• Step 1: After one year of medical school, the first part of the examination will measure the future cardiovascular surgeon’s knowledge in the basic sciences: anatomy, microbiology, etc. The test will last just one day, and is multiple-choice.
• Step 2: After year 4-5 of medical school, the second part of the test can be completed. This larger, two-day test will measure clinical science knowledge and ability with multiple choice questions and medical scenarios with “patients.”
• Step 3: The final step involves another large two-day test that takes place after the first year of residency. Simulated patient circumstances and multiple-choice questions will gauge a doctor’s ability to diagnose and treat their patients.

The following associations will not only increase a cardiovascular surgeon’s chances of being hired, but can assist him or her in various ways throughout his or her career:

• ACC Membership: As a member of the American College of Cardiology, a cardiovascular surgeon is one of more than 47,000 cardiovascular professionals within the network. With various events, these members have the opportunity to connect with other professionals, from physicians to administrators and other team members. Members also have access to print and online copies of medical and cardiology journals and publications.
• AHA Membership: Another organization essential to cardiovascular surgeons is the American Heart Association. This is an extremely vocal organization, working very hard to spread the awareness of heart disease and to help prevent it. Members of this organization have the ability to network with other professionals, take advantage of continued education resources, and access information about new trends and happenings in the industry.

According to the Medscape Physician Compensation Report of 2014, cardiology specialists are some of the highest paid physicians, earning an annual salary of approximately $351,000 a year. They are second only to orthopedic specialists.

All physicians and surgeons jobs are increasing, with an expected 18% growth through the year 2022 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With this kind of growth, approximately 123,300 new jobs will be available for physicians through the year 2022. The American Heart Association even expects a serious shortage of cardiothoracic (very similar to cardiovascular) surgeons within the next ten years due to the massive increase in the number of individuals suffering from heart disease.

Starting a Private Practice

Many cardiovascular surgeons enter the industry with the idea of ending up in their own private practice. It gives them the opportunity to work independently, under their own guidelines and rules. However, recent trends in the industry have led to a decrease in the number of cardiac physicians going into private practice. According to an article published by FOX, in the last three years, the number of cardiothoracic surgeons in private practice has gone from 80% to 30%.

Although the numbers seem to be fairly evenly divided when it comes to specialists who feel private practice is a good idea and those who feel it is not, American College of Cardiology CEO Dr. Jack Lewin says, “There is a little concern that when a physician is employed by a non-physician entity that they are no longer the unfettered advocate of the patient necessarily. They’re working for a boss who may drive things in a different direction. I don’t think that’s happening right now, but we don’t know where this goes in the future.” He adds, “…it’s a dramatic change to have the majority of cardiologists now moving into hospital employment and out of private practice.”

Becoming a surgeon and specializing in cardiology gives physicians the opportunity to provide sound medical care to a huge (and growing) group of people. It is an exciting and thrilling career-field that is hungry for highly-qualified heart specialists. These professionals, whether they opt for a private practice or employment with a hospital, can rely on job security and stability as well as economic stability.

Additional Resources

• Society of Thoracic Surgeons
• The American Association for Thoracic Surgery
• Cardiothoracic Surgery Network
• Congenital Heart Surgeons' Society
• International Society for Vascular Surgery

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