The Doctor Weighs In

USA Today reports that newly minted heart surgeons are having a hard time findings jobs. According to an article in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, 12% of 88 cardiothoracic residents surveyed, received no job offers in 2004. Bummer. It takes 10 years of training after med school to become a heart surgeon. Not so long ago, cardiothoracic surgery was a ticket to an exciting and lucrative career.

A major reason for the decline in CV opportunities is a change in the way heart disease is treated. More and more folks with coronary artery disease are having stents placed by cardiologists instead of chests cracked by CV surgeons. That’s a good thing, right?

The story might be even better if we spent as much energy and money on primary prevention of heart disease (you know, healthy diet and vigorous exercise on a regular basis) as we do on treating the end-result of too much fat, too many cigarettes, and too little movement. Oh, well. I think we’ll get there eventually.

Meanwhile, never fear, all you unemployed CV surgeons, the article points out that older heart surgeons are bound to retire soon and us boomers are entering our prime heart disease years. Keep those scapels sharpened.