INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATION: NEXT STEPS

1. INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATION: NEXT STEPS Dr. Robert Replogle October 2004

2. CTSNET MISSION STATEMENT • To be the leading source of educational and scientific information for cardiothoracic surgeons allowing them to advance their skills and stay current with new innovations in the field. • To provide a technical infrastructure that can be shared by cardiothoracic surgical organizations to support information exchange, collaboration, and administration. • To provide an optimal and richly interlinked platform for the major online journals. • To provide a resource through which companies can inform and gain feedback from surgeons regarding products and services. • To be the global leader in providing online education in cardiothoracic surgery and in promoting competence of cardiothoracic surgeons to enable the highest possible level of safety and quality of care.

3. STRUCTURE OF U.S. TRAINING PROCESS • Training programs • Defined in terms of time and experience • Rigidly controlled • Undergo site visit every 3-5 years • Program director’s responsibilities defined • Curriculum spelled out • Required case load and breadth of case experience defined • Training oversight • American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) examines candidates • Residency Review Committee (RRC) examines training programs • ABTS, RRC and Program Directors establish curriculum

4. REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATION • Define satisfactory training in terms of achievement of well-defined goals instead of years of training • Essential requirements include verification of • Clinical knowledge • Operative skills • Clinical judgment • Professionalism and communication skills

5. PEOPLE INVOLVED • International Certification Board Members • Blue ribbon group of international experts • Experts in training and certification • Training Mentors • Local surgeons of well-established integrity and experience • Chosen by criteria defined by Board • Candidates • Any surgeon who desires to receive certification • Has met pre-requisite requirements

6. PATHWAY FOR INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATION • Blended curriculum includes in-person and Internet-based didactic training • Clinical skills (operative experience) and clinical judgment acquired through training mentors • Rigorous online tracking of clinical experience AND outcomes • Rigorous ongoing assessment of clinical knowledge and educational activity • Electronic portfolio: • Continuous recording of activity and achievement of educational objectives • Regular, periodic review of progress by Training Mentor

7. NEXT STEPS • Establish International Certification Board of Cardiothoracic Surgery (ICBCTS) • Request nominees from every Board that has certified at least 100 surgeons and has been in existence for at least 3 years • Founding Members must commit to 2 years of development activity • ICBCTS then: • Reviews existing national certification programs and identifies commonality of process • Defines educational outcomes measures • Defines criteria for becoming Training Mentor • Defines pre-requisite criteria for Candidates • Goal: Leverage existing organizations already active in education and certification