Orthopedic Adult Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship

The Methodist DeBakey Heart Center, Dept. of Cardiovascular Surgery, is a world-renowned organization located in Houston Texas, performing over two thousand surgeries each year. Doctor Michael E. DeBakey was instrumental in the formation of Methodist’s Cardiovascular Surgery Service, performing the first successful coronary artery bypass in the early 1960’s. In state-of-the-art facilities, using some of the world’s most sophisticated technology, Methodist’s cardiovascular and Thoracic surgeons are on the leading edge of diagnosis, treatment and discovery. This tradition of innovative treatment continues today with new techniques for mitral valve repair, stenting of great vessels, robotics, off-pump coronary bypass and transplant surgery.

Due to limitations on Physician Resident duty hours, opportunities for Physician Assistants have increased dramatically, especially in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery. However, most employers require experience.

The Postgraduate Cardiovascular Residency for Physician Assistants is a twelve-month program established in 2007 by Houston Methodist Hospital in conjunction with Weill Cornell Medical College. The goal of the program is to provide qualified candidates with the opportunity to learn and improve on their basic surgical sciences, clinical and operative skills and in the process take advantage of the job opportunities available nationwide. Residents will have the opportunity to first and second assist on major cases early on in their training, without having to compete for cases with physician residents.

To be eligible for a fellowship position, certain criteria must be met:

Criteria

• Have successfully completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited orthopedic surgery residency training program
• Good professional character with at least three letters of recommendation attesting to your academic and personal qualifications
• A graduate of a U.S. or Canadian medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME), or a college of osteopathic medicine in the U.S. accredited by the AOA, or a medical school outside the U.S. and Canada with a current valid certificate from the ECFMG prior to appointment, or have completed a Fifth Pathway program through an LCME-accredited medical school.
• Be licensable in the State of Texas and obtain before beginning training a physician-in-training (PIT) permit or a valid Texas medical license
• Permanent resident status
• We will not be accepting applications of Foreign Medical Graduates, unless they have met the above criteria (www.acgme.org).

Houston Methodist is committed to improving the health of our patients, employees, and communities around us. As a health care provider, it’s our responsibility to promote a healthier environment for our employees.

Responsibility

• Drug and Tobacco Screening- Job seekers will be tested for nicotine and drug usage during the post-offer physical. If a job seeker tests positive for nicotine use, including nicotine gum and patches, the offer will be rescinded, and individuals will be given the opportunity to participate in a free Houston Methodist-provided tobacco cessation program. Job seekers wishing to reapply after testing positive for nicotine may do so 90 days after the date the initial offer was rescinded. If the job seeker tests positive for drug use, the offer will be rescinded. Job seekers wishing to reapply after the drug screening is positive may do so one year after the date the initial offer was rescinded.
• Background Check - Prior to employment start date, job seekers must complete a criminal background check.

Clinical and didactic components of the program are integrated. Residents will attend lectures in Vascular, Cardiothoracic and Cardiac Anesthesia year-round. When rotating through I.C.U., more lectures will be given pertaining to the care of the patient in that setting. e.g., ventilator management, fluids and electrolytes, and inotropic / vasoactive drugs.

Residents will become proficient in:

• Endoscopic Vein Harvesting
• Open heart Surgery: principles and practice of first assisting
• Vascular surgery: principles and practice of first assisting
• Endovascular procedures:
  • Femoral access, femoral closure techniques
  • Basic diagnostic angiography
  • Assisting in complex endovascular procedures
• Cardiovascular ICU care
• Floor care for the cardiovascular patient
• Principles of non-invasive cardiovascular imaging