Training Programs for Cardiothoracic Surgeons

Abstract

The original residency training programs in the United States were patterned primarily after those structured in Germany during the latter half of the nineteenth century. The greatest credit for the establishment of a thorough residency training program is due Bernhard von Langenbeck, Professor of Surgery at the University of Berlin (Fig. 5-1). He developed the concept of a training program with a gradual increase in responsibilities assigned each trainee during progression through the program. It was in this system at the famous Charite Hospital in Berlin that Bernhard von Langenbeck’s students, including Billroth, Kocher, Trendelenburg, and many others became professors appointed to major European chairs of surgery (Fig. 5-2). Each in turn produced the next generation; for example, among Billroth’s pupils were such notables as Mikulicz, von Eiselsberg, and Wolfler.