University of Colorado Program

Children's Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado Department of Surgery offer a one-year fellowship in Congenital Cardiac Surgery each academic year. The pediatric cardiac surgery program at this institution has a long history of training fellows, many of whom have emerged as leaders in the field. The fellowship is a participant in the Congenital Cardiac Surgery Match program.1

Prerequisite Criteria

The fellowship is open to individuals who have completed or are scheduled to complete a Thoracic Surgery residency by the time of enrollment. This prerequisite is crucial as it ensures that fellows are adequately prepared for the complexities of congenital cardiac surgery.1

Goals of the Program

The fellowship aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to all forms of congenital heart defects, facilitating a graded progression of responsibility in the management of patients throughout pre-operative, intraoperative, and postoperative stages. This training encompasses patients of all ages, including both pediatric and adult populations affected by congenital heart disease.1

Faculty and Training

The faculty in the Division of Congenital Cardiac Surgery comprises four full-time board-certified congenital cardiac surgeons. The fellowship is largely based at Children's Hospital Colorado, with fellows engaging extensively in multidisciplinary congenital cardiovascular medicine. This includes significant exposure to pediatric cardiology and pediatric cardiac anesthesia. The fellow will participate thoroughly in all aspects of patient care, from pre-operative assessments to postoperative follow-ups, within the limits of work duty hour regulations.1

The inpatient facilities include a dedicated 16-bed Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) and a 16-bed step-down unit, with two dedicated operating rooms and a hybrid catheterization operating room suite. Close collaboration with pediatric cardiology is inherent, ensuring a holistic approach to patient management. The fellow’s operative experiences follow a milestone-based framework, wherein increasing responsibilities are assigned based on individual progress and competencies demonstrated.1

Educational Goals and Objectives

The fellowship emphasizes several core competencies:

• Patient Care: Residents will develop essential skills to provide compassionate and effective patient care, including diverse clinical experiences in inpatient and outpatient settings.1
• Medical Knowledge: Instruction includes a combination of resident conferences, Surgical Grand Rounds, and educational experiences in clinics and operating rooms, allowing fellows to apply basic and advanced biomedical sciences to their practice.1
• Practice-Based Learning and Improvement: Fellows will engage in case reviews and discussions to continually assess their performance and improve their patient care practices.1

Active participation in multidisciplinary patient care conferences and didactic teaching sessions further enhances the educational experience.1

Facilities and Resources

The fellowship is hosted at Children's Hospital Colorado, noted for its advanced facilities, including two state-of-the-art operating rooms and one hybrid operating suite. A dedicated team of pediatric perfusionists and anesthesiologists ensures optimal care during surgeries, while the cardiac intensive care unit offers round-the-clock oversight by specialized intensivists.1

The program emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach, collaborating closely with the pediatric cardiology and cardiac anesthesia teams, resulting in a well-rounded educational environment. Additionally, there are opportunities for involvement with pediatric cardiac transplantation and management of mechanical assist devices, significantly enhancing surgical training quality.1

Competitiveness and Application Requirements

The fellowship program is highly competitive, drawing applicants from diverse backgrounds, including US and international medical graduates. Candidates are expected to have completed a Thoracic Surgery residency, which limits the pool to qualified applicants.1

There are typically specific considerations regarding visa sponsorships for international applicants, such as supporting J-1 visas commonly issued for medical trainees, to facilitate their participation in the program.1