HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Richard J. Shemin Stanley W. Dziuban Larry R. Kaiser James E. Lowe William C. Nugent Mehmet C. Oz Donald A. Turney Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Shemin, R. J. Articles by Wallace, J. K. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Shemin, R. J. Articles by Wallace, J. K.

Ann Thorac Surg 2002;73:2014-2032
© 2002 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

---

Special report from the AATS/STS workforce committee

Thoracic surgery workforce: snapshot at the end of the twentieth century and implications for the new millennium

^a Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Accepted for publication March 2, 2002.

* Address reprint requests to Dr Shemin, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Boston Medical Center, 88 E Newton St, Boston, MA 02118 USA
e-mail: richard.shemin{at}bmc.org

Abstract

Background. An appropriately sized physician workforce is an essential component for healthcare planning. Contemporary economic forces and the impact of managed care have stimulated renewed interest in understanding and monitoring workforce issues.

Methods. Between August and December of 1999, the Workforce Committee of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons conducted a survey detailing demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic practice characteristics of the membership.

Results. The 2,515 returned surveys represented a 62.6% return rate (± 1.6% margin of error), providing a highly statistically valid sample. Active thoracic surgeons are a mean of 50 years old, 98% men, with a high level of career satisfaction. Length of training and educational debt has been escalating. Adult cardiac surgical case volumes have increased (mean, 225 cases) and 52% of adult cardiac surgeons perform general thoracic procedures. Surgeons work 67 hours/week and 47 weeks/year. Most are organized in single specialty groups (50%) in urban areas (59%) as for-profit corporations (77%). Half of the respondents will be retired a mean of 13 years from now corresponding to a median calendar year of 2011.

Conclusions. This survey highlights significant workforce retirement during the next 10 to 15 years. Currently, the workforce in thoracic surgery appears "right sized." These valuable data provide a profile of the specialty. The information enhances our ability to strategically plan.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. B. Ratcliffe, C. Howard, M. Mann, and P. del Nido National Institutes of Health funding for cardiothoracic surgical research. J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg., August 1, 2008; 136(2): 392 - 397. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. L. Grover At Last, Inequities in Reimbursement Modified by Real Evidence-Based Data Ann. Thorac. Surg., January 1, 2007; 83(1): 9 - 11. [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. L. Jacobs, C. Mavroudis, J. P. Jacobs, C. I. Tchervenkov, and G. J. Pelletier Report of the 2005 STS Congenital Heart Surgery Practice and Manpower Survey Ann. Thorac. Surg., September 1, 2006; 82(3): 1152 - 1152. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. L. Gott, N. D. Patel, S. C. Yang, and W. A. Baumgartner Attracting outstanding students (premedical and medical) to a career in cardiothoracic surgery. Ann. Thorac. Surg., July 1, 2006; 82(1): 1 - 3. [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. A. Crawford Jr Thoracic Surgery Education-Past, Present, and Future Ann. Thorac. Surg., June 1, 2005; 79(6): S2232 - S2237. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. L. Mayer and A. C. Skinner Too Many, Too Few, Too Concentrated?: A Review of the Pediatric Subspecialty Workforce Literature Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, December 1, 2004; 158(12): 1158 - 1165. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. M. Guezuraga and D. Y. Steinbring View from industry Eur. J. Cardiothorac. Surg., December 1, 2004; 26(Suppl_1): S19 - S24. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. J. Gardner Residency Training for the Future, Not the Past Ann. Thorac. Surg., November 1, 2004; 78(5): 1519 - 1521. [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. D. Salazar, R. Lee, G. H. Wheatley III, and J. R. Doty Are There Enough Jobs in Cardiothoracic Surgery? The Thoracic Surgery Residents Association Job Placement Survey for Finishing Residents Ann. Thorac. Surg., November 1, 2004; 78(5): 1523 - 1527. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. B. Fye Introduction: the origins and implications of a growing shortage of cardiologists J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., July 21, 2004; 44(2): 221 - 232. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. L. Baughman, C. J. Pepine, J. Abrams, T. M. Bashore, R. M. Califf, A. M. Feldman, W. B. Fye, B. P. Griffin, R. J. Myerburg, G. V. Naccarelli, et al. Working group 1: How to increase the output of cardiologists J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., July 21, 2004; 44(2): 233 - 237. [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. A. Crawford Jr Presidential address: thoracic surgery education--responding to a changing environment J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg., November 1, 2003; 126(5): 1235 - 1242. [Full Text] [PDF]