Six-year integrated cardiothoracic surgery residency applicants: Characteristics, expectations, and concerns

ObjectiveDuring the past 5 years, 6-year integrated cardiothoracic surgery residency programs have increased in number and popularity.MethodsTo understand the background and motivation of the applicants for 6-year integrated programs, we surveyed 80 candidates interviewing for Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited 6-year integrated cardiothoracic surgery residency programs for the 2012 match season, with 36 respondents completing the survey.ResultsThe applicants interviewed for 6-year integrated programs had peer-reviewed publications (91.7%) and were interested in academic careers (91.4%), dedicated research time (58.3%), and cardiac surgery (66.7%). The time saved in training was considered an advantage of the 6-year integrated cardiothoracic surgery residency programs, although concern was present about the development of the mature, well-rounded cardiothoracic surgeon.ConclusionsWe found that most of the candidates for 6-year integrated cardiothoracic surgery residency were young, high-achieving individuals oriented toward academic careers with a significant interest in dedicated research time and cardiac surgery.