Perceptions on diversity in cardiology: A survey of cardiology fellowship training program directors

Background The lack of diversity in the cardiovascular physician workforce is thought to be an important driver of racial and sex disparities in cardiac care. Cardiology fellowship program directors play a critical role in shaping the cardiology workforce. Methods and Results To assess program directors\u27 perceptions about diversity and barriers to enhancing diversity, the authors conducted a survey of 513 fellowship program directors or associate directors from 193 unique adult cardiology fellowship training programs. The response rate was 21% of all individuals (110/513) representing 57% of US general adult cardiology training programs (110/193). While 69% of respondents endorsed the belief that diversity is a driver of excellence in health care, only 26% could quote 1 to 2 references to support this statement. Sixty-three percent of respondents agreed that our program is diverse already so diversity does not need to be increased. Only 6% of respondents listed diversity as a top 3 priority when creating the cardiovascular fellowship rank list. Conclusions These findings suggest that while program directors generally believe that diversity enhances quality, they are less familiar with the literature that supports that contention and they may not share a unified definition of diversity. This may result in diversity enhancement having a low priority. The authors propose several strategies to engage fellowship training program directors in efforts to diversify cardiology fellowship training programs

Challenges facing early career academic cardiologists

Early career academic cardiologists currently face unprecedented challenges that threaten a highly valued career path. A team consisting of early career professionals and senior leadership members of American College of Cardiology completed this white paper to inform the cardiovascular medicine profession regarding the plight of early career cardiologists and to suggest possible solutions. This paper includes: 1) definition of categories of early career academic cardiologists; 2) general challenges to all categories and specific challenges to each category; 3) obstacles as identified by a survey of current early career members of the American College of Cardiology; 4) major reasons for the failure of physician-scientists to receive funding from National Institute of Health/National Heart Lung and Blood Institute career development grants; 5) potential solutions; and 6) a call to action with specific recommendations

Faculty Development on Clinical Teaching Skills: An Effective Model for the Busy Clinician

Introduction The authors developed and evaluated a faculty development program on clinical teaching skills to address barriers to participation and to impact teaching behaviors. Methods Four one-hour workshops were implemented over five months. Evaluation included participant satisfaction and pre/post self-assessment. Pre/post faculty teaching ratings by trainees were compared. Results A total of 82% of faculty ( N = 41) attended. Participants rated workshops highly (mean, 4.43/5.00). Self-assessment of skills and comfort with teaching activities improved. A total of 59% of residents and 40% of fellows felt that teaching received from participating faculty was highly effective. The majority observed targeted teaching behaviors by the faculty. Teaching ratings improved after the workshops ( P = 0.042). Conclusion Our series of short workshops during a standing conference time was associated with increased self-assessed skill and comfort and an increase in faculty ratings on teaching evaluations. Effective faculty development programs can be implemented in flexible formats and overcome common barriers to participation

Effects of Advanced Cardiac Procedure Simulator Training on Learning and Performance in Cardiovascular Medicine Fellows

Background: Simulation-based training has been used in medical training environments to facilitate the learning of surgical and minimally invasive techniques. We hypothesized that integration of a procedural simulation curriculum into a cardiology fellowship program may be educationally beneficial. Methods: We conducted an 18-month prospective study of cardiology trainees at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Two consecutive classes of first-year fellows (n = 17) underwent a teaching protocol facilitated by simulated cases and equipment. We performed knowledge and skills evaluations for 3 procedures (transvenous pacing [TVP] wire, intra-aortic balloon pump [IABP], and pericardiocentesis [PC]). The index class of fellows was reevaluated at 18 months postintervention to measure retention. Using nonparametric statistical tests, we compared assessments of the intervention group, at the time of intervention and 18 months, with those of third-year fellows (n = 7) who did not receive simulator-based training. Results: Compared with controls, the intervention cohort had higher scores on the postsimulator written assessment, TVP skills assessment, and IABP skills assessment ( P  = .04, .007, and .02, respectively). However, there was no statistically significant difference in scores on the PC skills assessment between intervention and control groups ( P  = .08). Skills assessment scores for the intervention group remained higher than the controls at 18 months ( P  = .01, .004, and .002 for TVP, IABP, and PC, respectively). Participation rate was 100% (24/24). Conclusions: Procedural simulation training may be an effective tool to enhance the acquisition of knowledge and technical skills for cardiology trainees. Future studies may address methods to improve performance retention over time

The Impact of COVID-19 on Cardiovascular Training Programs: Challenges, Responsibilities and Opportunities

The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically disrupted cardiovascular disease (CVD) fellowship training. Significant reductions in cardiac volumes and simultaneous reassignment of physicians, including to Covid-centric services, have led to educational challenges in fellowship programs and disruptions to trainee experiential learning. While the initial response focused on preparedness for the anticipated surge, it is now critical to focus on the impact on training in this new era. Flexibility and innovation are needed in this highly volatile environment. Programs must respond to these changes with an eye towards providing a high quality educational experience while maintaining wellness and professional growth of fellows in training (FITs). This document seeks to chronicle the current state of CVD training and explore opportunities for response to this evolving environment