key: cord-0808890-9zd6ormn
authors: Luc, Jessica G.Y.; Antonoff, Mara B.
title: Necessity is the mother of innovation–the time to collaborate is now
date: 2020-05-24
journal: Ann Thorac Surg
DOI: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2020.05.011
sha: b727ce9a7607f3b49e19b5f3bb01d257a6c43e40
doc_id: 808890
cord_uid: 9zd6ormn

nan

To the Editor:

We applaud the work by Lewis et al [1] on the educational efforts instituted within their program to address the challenges faced by cardiothoracic surgical trainees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While we become flexible and innovative in educating and evaluating our trainees, the importance of the National-Online-Thoracic-Surgical-Curriculum [2] becomes more apparent than ever. The beneficial impact of the Curriculum has been shown, with cardiothoracic surgical trainees who used the Curriculum more frequently exhibiting greater improvements on intraining-examination scores [3] . Furthermore, the comprehensive Curriculum provides not only e-learning content, but also structure and objective data to educators to standardize and document trainee proficiency.

Alternative forms of educational material should be utilized, including online open-access videos, webinars, social media [4] , and other digital platforms. Lewis et al [1] rightfully point out that telemedicine does not require cessation of learning from ambulatory scenarios-trainees should discuss teaching points with faculty. Likewise, lack of operative cases does not require cessation of technical training; trainees can engage in simulation with feedback via teleproctoring. For trainees re-deployed to alternative duties, lack of time on-service does not require cessation of learning, as this is an opportunity to enhance critical-care skills. Lastly, although it is important to ensure continuity of education, it is critical for educators to be mindful of the impact that a pandemic may have on trainee safety, mental health, and well-being.

Ultimately, more than ever, there is need for a centralized approach toward the adoption of a multi-institutional educational curriculum with sharing of resources to transcend geospatial and 2 temporal limitations. This new learning environment provides an opportunity to develop novel education strategies and leverage existing online curricular platforms to create novel multiinstitutional endeavors, supporting the premise of the Thoracic Education Cooperative Group (TECoG) [5] -that with multi-institutional efforts, we can accomplish more. Now is the time for our community to unite and leave behind the limitations imposed by institutional silos for the educational benefit of our trainees and specialty. 

Cardiothoracic Education in the Time of COVID-19: How I Teach It

Impact of Moodle-Based Online Curriculum on Thoracic Surgery In-Training Examination Scores

Online learning in thoracic surgical training: promising results of multi-institutional pilot study

Participating in a TweetChat: Practical Tips From The Thoracic Surgery Social Media Network (#TSSMN)

Conducting high-quality research in cardiothoracic surgical education: Recommendations from the Thoracic Education Cooperative Group