Recent content by celling

I'm a graduate of Flinders Medical school in mid 2000's and currently practicing as a Cardiothoracic Surgeon in the southeastern USA. I have trained at the Texas Heart Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, and MD Anderson Cancer Center. I'm available for questions. I know that the transition...

The I6 programs are very different than the traditional pathway. The pluses are that you get cardiac surgery rotations earlier and rotations that you might not get in a traditional program, eg echo and cardiology rotations. In a whole, for cardiac surgery, I feel that it is a better training...

Pay is all over the place depending on experience, skill set, case mix, geographic location, cost of living, and academic vs non-academic. AMGA in 2020 had mean salary on west coast at 840k, Northern states $823K, Southern $910K, and Eastern states $734K. Straight thoracic surgery pays less...

That’s not true. You can travel, have a family, etc. however, it requires you to work very hard and requires you to spend a lot of time in the hospital.

It depends on what day you ask me. In general, I’d say that I don’t regret going in to this specialty. I don’t know where the guys who gave you advice got their info. I’m guessing it is just personal experience. Lung cancer is still a very prevalent problem and there is a lot of work out there...

No problem. It’s not for everyone. Better to find a specialty that is more in line with your life goals.

Congrats. That’s great that you learned this so early in your career. Most of us had to make a lot of mistakes and then learn from them. Sounds like you’re on the right track.

This is not specific to CT surgery but it is more amplified in CT surgery. It’s actually seen in all surgical specialties and especially in private practice positions.

When you are fresh out of training, you can't be the one who works less than your senior partners. You don't want the reputation of being lazy or entitled. And they will think this and talk about it behind your back. Plus, you need to build your reputation so that you can build your referral...

I'd keep all of your options open. You're at least a decade away from becoming a CT surgery attending. A lot can change in the profession in that timeframe with new technologies becoming available. Plus, things may change in your life (eg family) and you may not want to do such a time...

Our hospital gives everyone three weeks a year of vacation but that doesn't include days off for continuing medical education which gives you an additional 2 weeks off.

Surgery residency isn't easy for anyone. The years of sleep depravation do wear on you, but you keep your head down and get through it. I don't think that my age at the time made it any easier or harder. However, if I was going through it now, I might struggle a little more. Weekends I come...

It’s not in house call. Sleep in my own bed. Take 2-3 phone calls a night. Go into the hospital once every 2-3 months. Nothing like residency.

Have a great life. Enjoy my job and plenty of time with my family.

I have one partner currently 3-4 years from retirement and we have a locum that covers a day during the week and every other weekend. We have a new grad starting soon and are currently looking for an experienced surgeon. Hours aren’t a problem. I know a lot of cardiac surgeons who work way...