key: cord-0721204-dzx2426f
authors: Do-Nguyen, Chi Chi; Hong, Jonathan C.; Luc, Jessica G.Y.
title: The importance of mentorship and sponsorship for thoracic surgery residency applicants during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
date: 2020-09-24
journal: J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2020.08.064
sha: 6464aacb2a449ed44e643a23beacc5ba1417d5bf
doc_id: 721204
cord_uid: dzx2426f

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Boskovski and colleagues 1 discuss challenges encountered by thoracic surgery (TS) trainees during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic due to reductions in surgical case volume. Senior trainees graduating from low-volume institutions or institutions severely impacted by COVID-19 will most likely be affected by the pandemic, 2 adding increased importance for strong mentorship.

The pandemic has also disproportionately affected TS residency applicants at institutions without a TS program, as in accordance with the Association of American Medical Colleges recommendations, elective away sub-internships have been canceled to limit exposure and travel. 3 Applicants with a TS program are also affected with changes in length or availability of rotations and decreased volume. In past years, these rotations provided students with a deeper understanding of the field with foundational knowledge and skill acquisition to prepare for internship. Most importantly, the exposure allowed applicants to identify advisors, mentors, and advocates outside of their institution to help them navigate their future professional endeavors, and to provide letters of recommendation for residency applications. These opportunities are unfortunately decreased or lost in the midst of the pandemic.

Interprofessional networks and mentor-mentee relationships are an extraordinary resource for program directors and applicants alike. 4 We offer a call-to-action for faculty and TS trainees to make every attempt to engage with and involve medical students and be generous with one's time and resources. Arguably, the lack of meaningful exposure to applicant skill sets, decision-making, work ethic, discipline, emotional intelligence, and fund of knowledge in-person may limit comprehensive assessment of an applicant. However, in this unprecedented situation, now is the time to be innovative in the education and evaluation of applicants to expand beyond institutional silos to ensure our specialty's recruitment of the best and brightest is not hindered by the current or future pandemics. In anticipation of the application cycle ahead, may we offer TS program directors recommendations from the trainee and applicant perspective to address the challenges experienced by applicants.

For students without home programs, engagement can take many forms in our digital world, whether it be via communication on social media, showcasing a day-in-thelife of a TS surgeon/trainee through public webinars, or hosting virtual meet-ups, program visits, and information sessions to fill the unmet needs of applicants. 5 Virtual program visits and information sessions led by faculty can be done in a group setting, with the opportunity to accommodate smaller group break-out sessions with residents to get a more personalized experience of the program, with the possibility to extend discussions offline if necessary through one-to-one e-mails/messaging. This allows TS residency applicants to gain insight into not only the day-to-day clinical lives, scope of practice of our specialty, and what each training program has to offer but also allows programs to get to know them as individuals and future colleagues in the era of a physically distanced world. Furthermore, non-TS faculty/trainees can help facilitate contacts between applicants and TS members of their interprofessional network. For applicants without home programs or decreased operating room experience, involving applicants in virtual didactics and rounds or virtual small group surgical skills simulation sessions and telementoring may help fill the educational and assessment gap. A heightened sense of equity must be used when evaluating applicants to interview and to rank. In the evaluation of candidates, the personal (eg, illness or familial impact) and professional impact (eg, delays in research, inability to obtain a TS letter of recommendation with changes in rotation/away sub-internships, delayed or cancellation of board examinations) of the pandemic on applicants needs to be taken into consideration.

Many unforeseeable situations, such as a pandemic, hurricane, or other natural disasters, can affect both the residency application process and training. Therefore, mentorship and sponsorship should become the norm, not the exception, in cardiothoracic surgery. These uncertain times offer an unparalleled opportunity to support our future colleagues and ultimately strengthen the mentor-mentee connection to ensure that we continue to recruit the best and brightest into cardiothoracic surgery.

Enhancing thoracic surgical trainee competence in the COVID-19 era: challenges and opportunities for mentorship

Impact of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) on training and well-being in subspecialty surgery: a national survey of cardiothoracic trainees in the United Kingdom

The cardiothoracic surgery trainee experience during the COVID-19 pandemic: global insights and opportunities for ongoing engagement

COVID-19 & the residency match: the added importance of mentoring

Surgeon teachers and millennial learners: bridging the generation gap